Rabscuttle
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2460
Registered: 09-10-2004
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File: complete.demo (1.6 KB)
Downloaded 43 times.
License: Public Domain

C h a l l e n g e !

The Wrong Way: Damn Stairs

(by YellowMage)

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I've recently been working on a project that will analyse a set of individual room demos and use them to construct a demo for the whole level.

A demo for a complete level can't be just found from looking at CaravelNet. We may also need demos that don't conquer the room, demos that cross an already conquered room, demos that start from different entrances.

The level above illustrates this nicely (or check out any hold by Jacob). Just one room, but you'll need to cross it four or five times to get through it.

If you'd like to give this a go, play the level. You can reach it from 1N2W on the hub level. The easiest way to generate some demos is to hit f5 when you enter the level, and again when you exit the level. Export all the demos on the level and post 'em here. Tell us if you did something well/cool/innovative on one or more legs.

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Current Best: 816
Current Raw Data:

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[Last edited by Rabscuttle at 10-09-2009 12:26 AM]

Rabscuttle
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2460
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File: TWW Damn Stairs The Entrance 1.demo (3.8 KB)
Downloaded 46 times.
License: Public Domain

Stage 3 of the project - calculating the shortest route - is pretty much complete.
The current best total is 1324 - made up from my crappy test-run through the level (crappy test run attached - the algorithm just removed a loop at the beginning)

My next task is outputting a demo file of the best run.


boring stuff:

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[Last edited by Rabscuttle at 10-01-2009 05:54 PM]

Rabscuttle
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2460
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File: complete.demo (1.5 KB)
Downloaded 45 times.
License: Public Domain

After a couple more serious attempts: dropped it down to 864 moves in 6 parts

(entrances/exits are as marked in the first post)

1 -> 1: 1 
5 -> 4: 87 
7 -> 2: 255 
2 -> 1: 247 (conquering)
5 -> 5: 2
1 -> 3: 272

Complete demo attached (even though drod currently doesn't like multi-room demos)

still need to:
Present the raw data in a friendly way

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[Last edited by Rabscuttle at 10-07-2009 05:05 AM]

CuriousShyRabbit
Level: Smitemaster
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Well, since everyone else is apparently too chicken to try this, I'll start.

Just to be perverse, and because this challenge is supposed to be about choosing which "rooms" to optimize as part of the total, I used a slightly different sequence of stairs from Rabscuttle. It turned out not to be such a good idea, as his way is faster. I used a longer 5th pass, and tried to make up for it with a shorter 6th pass. Will try again later.

Rabscuttle
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2460
Registered: 09-10-2004
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Post your demo! You have better scores for 5->4 and 2->1! Using those will drop the total movecount for the level down to 853.

(The nice thing about this room is that because all transitions are stairs, everyone's demos will link up - there's no worries about ending the room facing a different way or one square north of someone else. For the next level I plan to OT! I'll be trying to add in extra moves so that mismatched demos can link up smoothly)

Rabscuttle
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File: TWW Damn Stairs leaving.demo (1.2 KB)
Downloaded 43 times.
License: Public Domain

Here is an improvement for the final leg.

1->3: 269

Rabscuttle
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Improved the conquering portion to 228 (take that, michthro!)

Added the complete demo + best level score + the individual demo data in a nice-ish format to the first post.

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[Last edited by Rabscuttle at 10-07-2009 01:44 PM]

noma
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1594
Registered: 11-22-2006
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File: TWW Damn Stairs The Entrance Leg 2.demo (969 bytes)
Downloaded 43 times.
License: Public Domain

Messed up while doing a complete F5, but here's an improved score for the second leg at 85 moves.
5 -> 4: 85

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[Last edited by noma at 10-07-2009 09:59 PM]

noma
Level: Smitemaster

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File: TWW Damn Stairs The Entrance Leg 3.demo (1.8 KB)
Downloaded 44 times.
License: Public Domain

And for Leg 3 at 254 moves. I'm convinced this can be done even faster.
7 -> 2: 254

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[Last edited by noma at 10-07-2009 09:26 PM]

noma
Level: Smitemaster

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File: TWW Damn Stairs The Entrance Final leg.demo (1.2 KB)
Downloaded 43 times.
License: Public Domain

I couldn't beat your victory leg, but here's an improved final leg. (Which I'm sure can also be beaten. *gauntlet drops*)
1 -> 3 : 258

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[Last edited by noma at 10-07-2009 09:58 PM : gr]

Rabscuttle
Level: Smitemaster

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Nice! I didn't think of using the second tunnel.

and apparently I never considered killing the tar babies the "inefficient" way.

first post is updated: current score = 828

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[Last edited by Rabscuttle at 10-08-2009 12:42 AM]

noma
Level: Smitemaster

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File: TWW Damn Stairs The Entrance 6.demo (1.2 KB)
Downloaded 44 times.
License: Public Domain

New Final leg. 1 -> 3 : 255253

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[Last edited by noma at 10-08-2009 03:57 AM]

Rabscuttle
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2460
Registered: 09-10-2004
IP: Logged

File: TWW Damn Stairs The Entrance leaving.demo (1.2 KB)
Downloaded 42 times.
License: Public Domain

1 -> 3: 251

CuriousShyRabbit
Level: Smitemaster
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File: TWW Damn Stairs The Entrance - Alternate ending.demo (1.6 KB)
Downloaded 41 times.
License: Public Domain

I'm still trying to make my other way work better, with the alternate 5th and 6th passes.

After conquering,
my 5th pass (boring) is from (5) to (4) still in 50 moves, and
my 6th pass (interesting) is from (7) to (3) now in 228 moves.

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[Last edited by CuriousShyRabbit at 10-10-2009 03:02 AM : Fixed demo to include exiting the level]

Rabscuttle
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2460
Registered: 09-10-2004
IP: Logged

CuriousShyRabbit wrote:
I'm still trying to make my other way work better, with the alternate 5th and 6th passes.

After conquering,
my 5th pass (boring) is from (5) to (4) still in 50 moves, and
my 6th pass (interesting) is from (7) to (3) now in 228 moves.

You'll need to include the move that goes down the stairs, otherwise my thingamebob just thinks the demo ends in the middle of the room and ignores it

(on the other hand you don't need to explicitly include the start of the demo, because the starting moves are inherently included in the demo file)

Long story short is that I can only read demos that are recorded with f5 and not f4.

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[Last edited by Rabscuttle at 10-09-2009 12:21 AM]

Rabscuttle
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File: TWW Damn Stairs The Entrance part 3.demo (1.2 KB)
Downloaded 42 times.
License: Public Domain

7 -> 2: 249.

Saved some moves by leaving some mud-baby unkilled on the first stab at the top mud blob. I kill them on the way to the green door roach.

Rabscuttle
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 2460
Registered: 09-10-2004
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hrE_SxSPYM

I am not good at this whole video editing thing. I couldn't get the thingy I was using to record the sound properly.

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[Last edited by Rabscuttle at 10-09-2009 04:10 AM]