Mario's got 99 "issues" but a glitch ain't one: TASBot plays SMB3 warps (no major glitches)

(Run starts at 1:35) TASBot plays Lord Tom, Maru & Tompa's NES Super Mario Bros. 3 "warps" in 10:24.34
This new Tool-Assisted Speedrun of SMB3 is using a new route that saves time over the existing run while still managing to obtain 99 lives (pardon the terrible pun in the description if it affronts you). This particular category does not use memory corruption to access the end credits without defeating Bowser, i.e. this run does not rely on ACE (Arbitrary Code Execution) and thus has no major glitches making it an NMG run. There are still plenty of minor glitches that push Mario ever forward, especially in autoscroller levels.
dwangoAC was joined by TheAxeMan in person for commentary along with Maru, one of the authors of the TAS, who provided additional details in Twitch chat which is visible along the left side of the screen. This was recorded after several previous attempts resulting in chat and commentators being a bit more distracted than they should have been during the first couple of levels they had seen several times already.
You can find this TAS at: tasvideos.org/6...
Authors: Lord Tom, Maru & Tompa
TASBot links:
Discord - Discord.TAS.bot
TASBot home - TAS.bot
Twitch live streams - / dwangoac
All TASVideos.org content used with permission under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0.

[@andrecosta9552]

*TAS bot is linked to a Roomba. Roomba proceeds to clip into walls, breaking the laws of physics.*

[@astracrits4633]

Clean floor % be like

[@doublechindoge7]

*Roomba clips out of reality into the **_B A C K R O O M S_*

[@supersanttu7951]

Zephyr Smith It's weird that non-Euclidean movement is tremendously easier while moving opposite of any given being's "forward" direction with short hops.

[@sorrychangedmyusername3594]

TAS bot becomes sentient and destroys mankind

[@Skysupercharged]

it's learned the most powerful technique, wormhole buffering with wormhole buffering it is possible to teleport into the depths of the universe's memory from there the roomba can write to certain addresses, then perform arbitrary code execution and with the code it wrote, it deletes all dirt in the universe, thus triggering the end credits and that is the fastest known method to complete super roomba land, sadly the buffering required to reach the universe's memory has yet to be successfully replicated without use of cheats or tasbot

[@rompevuevitos222]

When you expect to see a super play but you just see the CPU dancing around like the level didn't even existed to begin with Man i love TASes

[@mintyfreshness4363]

TAS is just speedrunning with flexing

[@jibster5903]

1:46, Yup, we're in 4 seconds and we're going through blocks, classic TAS

[@jameschapman2782]

"No major glitches"

[@khirasier]

@@jameschapman2782 well considering you can literally inject code into the game by changing data values with certain inputs and sprite placements, yes this is no major glitches

[@thor10001]

@@khirasier technically, you are right. But still, "nO MaJOR GlITcHeS"

[@slamalamadingdangdongdiggy5268]

@@thor10001 going through one block isn't a major glitch

[@jibster5903]

You should make a compilation of all drawings on youtube

[@lestatcomedante3907]

That could actually be cool if sped up. Then normal viewers could see it and for those that want to watch the chat _"make"_ it could just alter the video speed. Granted the reverse could be done but it might scare off others from viewing if it's too long of a video.

[@Spin793]

@@lestatcomedante3907 Could you explain how exactly the chat "makes" the image? I've never watched the livestream before and have no iea what's going on there.

[@lestatcomedante3907]

@@Spin793 It's achieved through chat bot commands in the stream. Though I haven't personally been in the stream I've learned of this interesting system through watching multiple videos of streams in which it is present and discussed.

[@grn1]

Suggestion: When one of the creators of the TAS come onto chat it would be nice if the text was highlighted or seperated somehow so it's easier to follow.

[@dwangoAC]

In progress. Stay tuned.

[@Trianull]

"Roomba *is* TASBot's royal steed" - dwangoAC, 2019

[@AwkCrafty]

Damn that tasbot guy is really good.

[@churgneygurgney9895]

He sure is

[@worstgamerever9660]

Love to see tas play road rash or the old bard games

[@johneygd]

It blows my mind how the nes has that dpcm glitch and how certain games had to deal with, eventrough that dpcm glitch was fixed in the pal nes and i wonder if this pal versions of those games were adjusted with this fix in mind,or just not?? Am very curious about that.

[@Mega_Mikey]

That dude in the back just cheesing nonstop

[@hollowknightfanatic7693]

Now I can see tasbot riding a Roomba with a DS or Gameboy system...

[@alien_man1669]

Isn't score set to specific # in order to make it a easily computable # and I thought I learned it from a tasbot video lolol

[@MinerGlitch25]

What's the r/place thingy in the bottom left corner? Edit: On the left side underneath the facecam and twitch chat

[@dwangoAC]

We call it PBN, it's a room we set up when they had those which allowed people to draw stuff.

[@ianmoore5502]

@@dwangoAC does it no longer exist? :(

[@dwangoAC]

@@ianmoore5502 Twitch disabled rooms unfortunately. We're hopeful we can replace it with something else.

[@michellehay3639]

3:59 Eyyyyyyyyy

[@zanarkandace6821]

143300? Is that a "I love you 3000" reference?

[@RadiativeChester]

what's the song at video ending? sounds like kkrusty

[@TompaA]

Good stuff!

[@ThePandaclash]

I've always wondered, what is that drawing thing?

[@dwangoAC]

Swing by my Twitch channel and type !pbn for more, we're actively expanding it.

[@thoff5870]

Hi twitch chat FeelsGoodMan

[@casinatorzcraft]

how does tasbot sync with the console?

[@YeOldeBelmont]

Anyone wanting to know more about the extended 1-UP sound can check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIerqoarlM-Uhtk

[@thepugboss7288]

what is the guy behind you doing

[@heliumlemon15]

3:59 ?????

[@Pyco_]

Since chat said hi, may as well respond. Hi chat!

[@goodclover]

I don't understand what your artwork thing is?

[@evknucklehead]

It takes commands from chat to change pixels one-by-one, which some of his more creative viewers can use to create these impressive works of art. The program keeps track of all the commands entered that session so that Dwango or his moderators can issue a redraw command to show everything that has been drawn during that session. It will also temporarily overlay emotes shown in chat when someone uses one, as seen here when the Stay Hydrated Bot posted a water bottle emote.

[@goodclover]

@@evknucklehead Thanks! I was very confused as to what it was

[@bunger445]

Actually it’s 99 problems not issues

[@lu_ck]

dats hot

[@bunger445]

So is 8:52

[@sebastianuno3045]

Hi twitch

[@Cisco297]

3:22 i can't be the only one hearing the ocarina of time when TASbot used the flute.

[@bedescarlet]

That’s where the song originated from

[@CLINTSTER77COX]

S-vid

[@Indian0Lore]

Hi Twitch! If YT is Dad, is Twitch Mom?

[@thomasslone1964]

this is a hacked rom, you changed the angle that determines the difference between kill or get hurt

[@xdeathcon]

This was a console verification... It isn't hacked.

[@dwangoAC]

This is definitely not a hacked ROM. I even showed the original cartridge on stream before we recorded this segment.

[@thomasslone1964]

lies

[@xdeathcon]

@@thomasslone1964 Are you trying to make a joke?

[@TheJosephoenix]

There's nothing cool about a tasbot run. Just ppl who don't have any real talent, enjoying a computer running a game they can't succeed at... Pathetic.

[@dwangoAC]

You seem to misunderstand that a human spent a considerable amount of time doing the equivalent of composing a symphony, carefully testing a variety of possible options before settling on a series of button presses (instead of a series of notes) to create something both entertaing and a work of art. There's definitely talent on display here.

[@Grim0514]

Imagine being this ignorant

[@bfaesmtbaoryd]

2:10 this TAS can fuccin B.L.J on the classic netendo

[@snowob]

4:23 How is that longer 1-up jingle triggered?

[@spawnermaster3794]

Grayson Candell Just replying to get notified

[@joshc7154]

@@spawnermaster3794 same here

[@TwilightFlower9]

The guy in chat said it's with a precise tail wag.

[@Pogman999]

As NuclearFarts says, it's a tail wag 1/12th of a second after the 1-up is collected: www.mariowiki.com/List_of_Super_Mario_Bros._3_glitches#Extended_1-Up_Mushroom_Theme

[@KnakuanaRka]

If the game tries to play the tanooki tail wag sound at the same time as the 1-up jingle, it gets confused and winds up reading more data from memory than it should, resulting in the extended sound.

[@CallieSqueakz]

Deedyanou: The “Long 1-UP” sound is actually just a chunk of the “Power Up” sound with the normal “1-UP” sound, specifically the last chunk of “Power Up”.

[@edcdecl]

Sanwich 121 kzbin.info/www/bejne/aIerqoarlM-Uhtk

[@paulstelian97]

@@edcdecl

[@SproingBoing]

I can't be the only one imagining what kind of eldritch Italian horror Bowser's forces just witnessed hurtling across the landscape.

[@plushifoxed]

Haroc not to be weird but uhhh what's the source of your userpic google reverse image search doesn't turn up anything and neither does saucenao

[@lestatcomedante3907]

As a side note my condolences to your avatar and her busty problems that she endures.

[@2cents98]

Hey, just another degenerate that wants to know the pfp source

[@lincolnpepper816]

same

[@DoivanIvanIvanIvanIvan]

lincoln pepper sauce for my spaghetti please

[@kurtmayer2041]

i like seeing both bash and python in one line props to you for running linux, even if only on TASBot himself

[@dwangoAC]

I am the President of the North Bay Linux Users' Group. I use Linux full time on every device, soon also with the Librem 5 phone with native Linux support. I'm kind of extreme. :)

[@Andrew_G4CH]

That Librem 5 will be pretty kick ass.. Can't wait to see the finished product..@@dwangoAC

[@sirsammy9800]

@@dwangoAC YESS

[@LaskyLabs]

3:57 Retro game mechanics explained.

[@UndefinedFantasticCat]

I found you!

[@ItsAlundra]

Oh hey, I recognize the picture at the end, it's from Runescape. It's the Terraforming Arctic Refrigeration Dispersing Ice Spreade, AKA T.A.R.D.I.S. Great tas, the 1-up glitch sounds were a surprise to hear.

[@Demonheadge]

yes :P

[@PokeMaster22222]

4:29 That sound? The glitched 1-UP sound? It's due to some really sloppy coding by the devs; normally, the sound engine uses one system, but for a certain group of sounds, it uses a different system, and the 1-UP has priority on top of that despite being one of the last sounds accessed otherwise.

[@lestatcomedante3907]

I consider this stuff as a art form. It's seriously amazing!

[@corvax8644]

@12:10 what are these collective drawing pictures called? i see them everywhere

[@iceypumpkinhead]

I saw Tetris 99. Wtf I need sleep.

[@Shadowtail]

I noticed that (especially in the first level or two), some stems of the music cut out. It certainly doesn't sound intentional, so is it a side-effect of moving through the levels so quickly?

[@cualorbit]

it's a side effect of the Nintendo's hardware limitations, it only has 2 pulse or "lead" voices, both of which are shared between the music and the sfx, so when a sound effect plays (and if there is music playing on that voice) the sound chip makes room for the sound effect by stopping any activity on that voice momentarily. it is really impressive how Koji Kondo and other composers managed to work through these limitations to still make these amazing pieces of music

[@lestatcomedante3907]

@@cualorbit yeah chip tunes are astounding achievements all things considered.

[@4rc4n3f0rg3]

what is the intro music called? and if so, can you leave a link the music in the description.

[@btarg1]

look mom, *no hands*

[@sava28]

i'm more interested in the lower-left screen

[@mootbooxle]

Wow...I learned something! So, you're saying that DPCM samples in a BGM track causes the CPU to not recognize inputs, if triggered on the same frame?

[@joychapman9228]

hmmst... sounds like bad architecture.

[@helloofthebeach]

not gonna lie, I'd have loved it if this TAS had ended with Mario having only 98 lives.

[@Jrez]

I love Maru's comment "Much slower to the door, but much faster under the spikes" ... "22 frames faster than the old route" 22 frames is "much faster" these days. I can't imagine any other game that has been analyzed and played so deeply by so many people for so long.

[@Echsenmerkel]

can anyone explain me how this TASbot works? is it like a AI? or is it acrpt of buttons that Bot runs like all other Bots?

[@Grim0514]

He puts inputs on individual frames in a program and has the program play it out

[@TragGaming]

TASbot is just the replay format that hooks up to a controller to simulate inputs really really fast. Someone programs the TAS, and TASBot plays it like a music sheet on the controller.

[@GoldenGamerFox7272fromYT]

@@TragGaming and a way to do your own TAS (no, not TASBot) with FCEUX and any NES roms! good luck finding some of the things. (note: i cant do a movie on FCEUX ): )

[@JoeStuffz]

That Twitch chat is almost too orderly for Twitch. It's nice! Every time I see a Twitch video, the chat stream is absolutely bombarded with spam

[@evilgibson]

hahahaha that part with the salty mod was complaining someone became a mod

[@StarKnight54]

Everyone: Looking at the run Me: looking st the animation on the left

[@JessieEchidna]

Hi stream!

[@Qebio]

this isnt a stream.. this is a video uploaded from twitch

[@JessieEchidna]

@@Qebio But Twitch chat said "hi yt". It would be rude not to wave hello in return!

[@Qebio]

oh i get it

[@ProCreepersTeam]

JessieEchidna Thats so wholesome

[@JPBennett]

What capture device did you grab, and does it work under Linux?

[@dwangoAC]

Magewell Capture Pro HDMI 2K x4 - so four port capture card because I need that much for all the simultaneously connected video and camera sources I have. It's $900 or $225 per HDMI which is as cheap as they go for Magewell but still really nuts. They have a Linux driver that allows v4l to see the device flawlessly.

[@JPBennett]

@@dwangoAC I've looked at that one, but been hesitant because of the out-of-tree driver. Have you gotten it in yet to test? Would love to see a video or stream about your experience with it.

[@dwangoAC]

@@JPBennett I've done some off steam testing and it's been solid so far. If you don't want to deal with the driver and you have USB capacity the Magewell USB 3.0 HDMI capture device handles 1080p60 with v4l natively.

[@chrismanger970]

long before watching this, I knew what a TAS was, but this video opened my eyes to the potential and awsomeness of TASes. Thanks for this sweet TAS!

[@testoclesarroyo]

Hi twitch!

[@JonJacobJingleheimer]

Did he say something about getting 1-ups saving time somehow?

[@dwangoAC]

More like the authors never lose time while collecting them but some are collected later to ensure no frames are lost to other things.

[@lestatcomedante3907]

@@dwangoAC that's amazing! I just love this stuff and truly consider it a art form.

[@Maru370]

Collecting 99 lives has been a tradition for this category ever since Morimoto's landmark TAS in 2003. However, it was important to monitor the score to not cause extra lag in pipe entries to bosses and at the start of autoscrollers. If the sum of the digits is high, there can be lag. It is also very difficult to obtain all of the lives through extended stomping sequences without causing lag.

[@KingofJ95]

Hey, I just want to let you know that I got recommended this again and saw that KZbin had unsubscribed me at some point.

[@Spartacas]

Wait, what was that path he took through bowsers castle? Has that always been there? Is that a glitch?

[@NightFore]

► Hi KZbin. ► Hi Y...

[@walkastray007]

So what's that artwork to the left of the screen? How does it work?

[@grn1]

It's called paint by numbers and it allows people to draw images one pixel at a time by (from my understanding as I've not used it myself) typing coordinates and colors into twitch chat. Apparently there are programs out there that make it easier to convert art to this format and send it which is how people are able to draw so fast. I think someone Dwango knows made the program but as far as I know nobody else uses it for streams.

[@TypoHouseGames]

Talking about the 4 hdmi capture device and how much you spent on it, I felt that cause i also just bought probably the same capture card.

[@florianricquart4114]

I kinda want to see a no power-up TAS, it could be interesting

[@TheUKNutter]

I want to see his kids

[@stracciatella2782]

3:08 watch out for the nuclear waffle

[@TimeSpaceMage]

Can't read any of the comments, so the commentary makes absolutely no sense. Can't you repeat what they say for everyone?

[@smoceany9478]

no

[@Maestro_Gear]

Hello Chat!

[@matthewgoodman434]

Hello chat

[@OpenKeith]

ok but the nes graphics just dont look as good without that composite aesthetic

[@ewangreen9406]

hit me

[@jesse406]

Why is this Tas dude so good at literally everything

[@slider4765]

@GD PolarBunny wooosh

[@sapphire9727]

GD PolarBunny you aren’t supposed to link subreddits outside of reddit, therefore he has done it properly. So you, sir, are the normie.

[@peazeralus]

@GD PolarBunny 'Redditor' is an alias for normie. Anyone on reddit after 2017 is willingly living in a dumpster fire.

[@MAGACAT]

mario maker 2 .. cant wait either

[@jkreidler5834]

I'm glad twitch thinks KZbin is dad

[@wilsonsshui]

The best twitch audience?Search Shinyodd

[@mintyfreshness4363]

Why does Mario have $14 on the bottom

[@Grim0514]

That's the amount of coins he has

[@unyielding37]

youtube is dad

[@mariannmariann2052]

How can they draw so fast?

[@jaxoncarter2electricboogal921]

M A M A M I A !

[@LeonStephan]

I'm on TV! PogChamp

[@nathew]

Hi KZbin

[@lonnymoore2622]

if you want too try too run a robot vacume using a tas we have one in storrage that we could donate . wen we find it in there that is .

[@dwangoAC]

Heh, thanks for the offer. I have an old Roomba and we have a video of TASBot riding on it. I'd welcome code that allows us to take this concept further. :)

[@bunger445]

7:46 is cool

[@ericsbuds]

very cool.

[@bunger445]

0:00 0:01 0:02 - 9:45

[@MissingNo95]

hi twitch

[@boyce1381]

What is the tool actually doing to let him do all those moves?

[@grn1]

A TAS is basically a prerecorded set of inputs. Maru used various emulator tools to basically play the game frame by frame and go back to fix things. The movie file contains a list of inputs and the frames they play on (Dwango has referred to it as a piano roll). Different emulators have different TAS recording tools. Dwango converts the movie file to a format that TASbot can use movie to play back the moves on real hardware. TASbot is literally a R.O.B controller with a microcontroller attached to it (a micro500), it connects to Dwangos PC to receive the movie file and basic instructions (start, stop, reset) and to the console as a controller, they also have a display board so we can see what buttons it's pressing. He's put out a few videos in the past that go into more detail including one where he taught someone how to make a TAS.

[@Crembonii]

HI STREAM!

[@jonathanc8845]

HI TWITCH!

[@bunger445]

0:00

[@Jayk0b]

What is this left picture there drawing? Who draws

[@CreeperAssassins1]

the chat

[@mariannmariann2052]

but how does those draw so good and fast

[@CreeperAssassins1]

Watch the stream and ask

[@dwangoAC]

People have started developing tools and we've pushed chat beyond all reasonable levels. We're, uh, rethinking our strategy because people are going a bit nuts with it. :)

[@thesuccessfulone]

TAS hates walls

[@renakunisaki]

Walls are just a suggestion.

[@glitchedjson4042]

You know it's a _no major glitches_ when the background disappears and no_clip has been switched on! At least it doesn't auto win in 37-something seconds!

[@ultimaterecoil1136]

J̵a̸̋͘s̸̒o̴n̶ like when in Mario world you can skip to credits would count as a major glitch right for the terms of the no major glitches category

[@glitchedjson4042]

@@ultimaterecoil1136 I don't know... I just know that Sethbling did something with the memory using shells - fireballs - additional levels of power-ups, and it warped him to the credits scene. I personally don't understand the exact strict rules of these categories. They both use memory manipulation in some way.

[@patrickwilmoth]

anyone else find dwango unbearably conceited?

[@dwangoAC]

Would you like to talk about it? Is there a specific example you see? This run was a while ago and I don't recall being conceited, nor is it usually my personality to be that way - if there's something I should review please feel free to point it out.

[@patrickwilmoth]

@@dwangoAC Example, the co-host says something, you yawn and ignore his question

[@patrickwilmoth]

The problem with conceitedness is you end up harming yourself. Compliments are less enjoyable because a compliment to a conceited person are processed as tribute

[@dwangoAC]

@@patrickwilmoth This sounds pretty foreign to me - I don't deliberately ignore people, although my hearing loss and rather advanced ADHD does mean sometimes means I miss things I should have caught. Is there a timestamp where I passed over a question? Regarding your other point, I've seen conceited behavior that looked like seeking tribute but I truly can't identify with that, it doesn't resonate with my values or how I live my life. I'm always seeking to improve in all areas and if my on screen behavior is coming across as conceited I'd definitely want to address that because it's the exact opposite of who I really am.

[@patrickwilmoth]

@@dwangoAC Honestly your responses don't surprise me

[@FennecTECH]

FIRST

[@wacknesium]

please name a single person besides you that actually cares.

[@lestatcomedante3907]

Third to reply to your comment which was first. Three times the charm as they say. I'm so stoked about this _"monumentous"_ achievement. My whole outlook on life has changed due to this stellar accomplishment. I will cherish this for the rest of my life. I'd like to thank Jesus.....but that dude had nothing to do with this.

[@wacknesium]

@@lestatcomedante3907 thank the jeebus

[@NomeCreativo]

@Orbulon _ lol

[@PrivateOGITH]

i Knew About that Warp to World 8 from World 1 WAY Before you were even BORN...

[@dwangoAC]

Um, you've been hanging around my comments for a while now but I don't understand why you always talk in CamelCase or why you seem to assume I wasn't alive when these came out. In fact, I scraped paint off barns and pulled weeds to earn the money I used to buy my original Nintendo and SMB3, and I still have my NES today.

[@PrivateOGITH]

@@dwangoAC - and Listen to your Words from 0:16 to 0:31 and This is my 3RD Comment on This Video' i dont Know WHY my 2ND one isnt Showing ???

[@lestatcomedante3907]

Are we playing hipster madlibs again? "I was/knew/into _______ before ______ was ______" is so cliché. Even if such a statement was true why would that matter? EDIT: _(To OP)_ So like were you the first person to discover this? Do you want to be credited whenever and wherever used or something? Do you want a cookie or medal?

[@rompevuevitos222]

@@PrivateOGITHAlso for triggers, i only played this after getting a PS2, in a friend's NES wich he forced me to play with because i kept insisting it was too boring

[@lestatcomedante3907]

@@rompevuevitos222 Stop, they may have a heart attack or you may warp their fragile mindset! ;-)

[@eternalrest2859]

I have absolutely no respect for TAS. If its not a human player playing the vanilla game then its not a speed run.

[@TompaA]

We are all humans who made the TAS and it is indeed the vanilla game. TASes are just a different type of speedrun, with different rules, purpose, ways of making and skills needed. You can say that a TAS is a studio recording of a song, where they can use tools to make it sound as good as possible, compared to a real time run being a live concert, where you have one take to do as well as you can. Both are music/singing, just two different variations.

[@Gogglesofkrome]

TAS is more of a proof of concept than an actual display of skill - it shows what can be accomplished from the glitches that are known