[TAS] Arkanoid Returns Arcade (100 Rounds) (Very hard)

Tool-assisted superplay (TAS) of Arkanoid Returns Arcade (100 Rounds) (Very hard)
This video is just a superplay. I finished the game relatively quickly but it could be done faster. Sometimes I chose to have fun rather than going fast.
If we had the choice between infinite angles, some rounds would be completed much faster, but we can only choose between about 6 different angles at which the ball bounces on the paddle.
To get a high score like in Twin Galaxies, you have to shoot many enemies while keeping the ball in play but without ending the round. This is why the score for this TAS is about half of what is posted there.
If you start a game normally, you will only play the first 50 rounds.
A code can be entered before starting the game to start a new one from round 51, ending with a confrontation with Doh (round 100).
To start on round 51:
-Insert coin(s)
-Press Player 1 button 1 three times
-Press Player 1 button 2 once
-Press Player 1 Start button
-You should see Round 51
This also works if you use the Player 2 buttons with Player 2 Start
Items: (Translated from japanese)
S = Slow - Slows down the speed of the energy ball.
C = Catch - Catch the energy ball and press the button to serve.
E = Expand - The length of the baus increases.
D = Disruption - The energy ball splits into eight pieces.
L = Laser - Press the button to fire a laser shot.
M = Mega Ball - Energy balls become piercing bullets. (Eliminate bricks without bouncing on them)
G = Gigantic - The energy ball becomes larger for a certain period of time. (Like Mega Ball but larger)
B = Break - You can escape through the exits on the left and right.
T = Thunder - The ball can be hit back only once with rays of light extending from the left and right sides of the baus.
P = Player - The player's stock increases by one.
Before starting level 51, I had to sacrifice a life. This is the only way I've found (short of a reset) to get the sound to play normally. If I didn't lose any lives, the sound of the ball bouncing wouldn't play at all. Maybe it's because Mame classifies this game as having imperfect sound.
As you can see at 1:07, 4:19, 29:44, if there are already 2 items going down, the third one will be lost.
Exploding enemies can help you by eliminating nearby bricks (25:34). When you touch a balloon it splits into 3 small balloons, the small balloons eliminate the bricks they touch (1:18, 3:09, 4:51), which can be very useful.
The power-ups: are they RNG, or are they always the same?
My theory is that some bricks are assigned an item, but the items are in a fixed order, so in round 1, 5 of the 7 yellow bricks will earn you an item, but the items will always be in the same order regardless of which yellow brick that you hit. The order for the 1st round is: D G L E D.
And keep in mind that you can't have 2 items on screen at the same time, the item you should have gotten will be skipped. This does not apply to transparent bricks that will gives you the shown item.
This is just my theory. This seems to work for the first few rounds but should be checked on later rounds to see if it holds up.
The map of all levels can be viewed here: vgmaps.com/Atlas/Arcade/index...
What is a TAS? / prog61
For a good introduction to TASing: • How to create the perf...
For more information visit tasvideos.org.
0:00 Rounds 1 to 10
3:38 Rounds 11 to 20
7:29 Rounds 21 to 30
11:20 Rounds 31 to 40
15:24 Rounds 41 to 50
19:50 Rounds 51 to 60
24:04 Rounds 61 to 70
29:27 Rounds 71 to 80
33:10 Rounds 81 to 90
36:37 Rounds 91 to 100

[@Prog61]

====Description====
Arkanoid Returns is an arcade game released by Taito in February 1997 as part of the Arkanoid series. It is the fourth overall, and third to be released in arcades. The game was ported to the PlayStation later the same year, with an updated home release being released afterwards titled Arkanoid R 2000.
from: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkanoid_Returns
Tool-assisted superplay (TAS) of Arkanoid Returns Arcade (100 Rounds) (Very hard)
This video is just a superplay. I finished the game relatively quickly but it could be done faster. Sometimes I chose to have fun rather than going fast.
If we had the choice between infinite angles, some rounds would be completed much faster, but we can only choose between about 6 different angles at which the ball bounces on the paddle.
To get a high score like in Twin Galaxies, you have to shoot many enemies while keeping the ball in play but without ending the round. This is why the score for this TAS is about half of what is posted there.
If you start a game normally, you will only play the first 50 rounds.
A code can be entered before starting the game to start a new one from round 51, ending with a confrontation with Doh (round 100).
To start on round 51:
-Insert coin(s)
-Press Player 1 button 1 three times
-Press Player 1 button 2 once
-Press Player 1 Start button
-You should see Round 51
This also works if you use the Player 2 buttons with Player 2 Start
Items: (Translated from japanese)
S = Slow - Slows down the speed of the energy ball.
C = Catch - Catch the energy ball and press the button to serve.
E = Expand - The length of the baus increases.
D = Disruption - The energy ball splits into eight pieces.
L = Laser - Press the button to fire a laser shot.
M = Mega Ball - Energy balls become piercing bullets. (Eliminate bricks without bouncing on them)
G = Gigantic - The energy ball becomes larger for a certain period of time. (Like Mega Ball but larger)
B = Break - You can escape through the exits on the left and right.
T = Thunder - The ball can be hit back only once with rays of light extending from the left and right sides of the baus.
P = Player - The player's stock increases by one.

Before starting level 51, I had to sacrifice a life. This is the only way I've found (short of a reset) to get the sound to play normally. If I didn't lose any lives, the sound of the ball bouncing wouldn't play at all. Maybe it's because Mame classifies this game as having imperfect sound.
As you can see at 1:07, 4:19, 29:44, if there are already 2 items going down, the third one will be lost.
Exploding enemies can help you by eliminating nearby bricks (25:34). When you touch a balloon it splits into 3 small balloons, the small balloons eliminate the bricks they touch (1:18, 3:09, 4:51), which can be very useful.
The power-ups: are they RNG, or are they always the same?
My theory is that some bricks are assigned an item, but the items are in a fixed order, so in round 1, 5 of the 7 yellow bricks will earn you an item, but the items will always be in the same order regardless of which yellow brick that you hit. The order for the 1st round is: D G L E D.
And keep in mind that you can't have 2 items on screen at the same time, the item you should have gotten will be skipped. This does not apply to transparent bricks that will gives you the shown item.
This is just my theory. This seems to work for the first few rounds but should be checked on later rounds to see if it holds up.
What is a TAS? czcams.com/users/Prog61about
For a good introduction to TASing: czcams.com/video/Ietk1-Wb7oY/video.html
For more information visit tasvideos.org.
0:00 Rounds 1 to 10
3:38 Rounds 11 to 20
7:29 Rounds 21 to 30
11:20 Rounds 31 to 40
15:24 Rounds 41 to 50
19:50 Rounds 51 to 60
24:04 Rounds 61 to 70
29:27 Rounds 71 to 80
33:10 Rounds 81 to 90
36:37 Rounds 91 to 100

[@MylstarElectronics]

"ywy" fixed this emulation issues in the latest release, so please don't use the _outdated_ versions.

[@Prog61]

Sorry. In which version of Mame did he fix it?

[@MylstarElectronics]

@@Prog61 Video emulation is reimplemented in the latest version _0.266_ , while the sound emulation is fixed in _0.225_ .

[@Prog61]

I used 0.260, so I should be ok? 0.266 was released just a few minutes ago.

[@GeneralPotatoSalad]

Arkanoid is a game I love... and am terrible at. Played so many variants and never got far in any of them. Always good to finally see the later levels, thank you!
6:42 Oh, normally I like the "ding" sounds in Arkanoid but that megaball-stuck screech was... ow. I guess a corner case they didn't plan for.

[@frankrizzo890]

Great work as always! I have a question! The power-ups. Did you see anything to suggest that they're influenced by RNG, or are they always the same?

[@Prog61]

My theory is that some bricks are assigned an item, but the items are in a fixed order, so in round 1, 5 of the 7 yellow bricks will earn you an item, but the items will always be in the same order regardless of which yellow brick that you hit. The order for the 1st round is: D G L E D.
And keep in mind that you can't have 2 items on screen at the same time, the item you should have gotten will be skipped. This does not apply to transparent bricks that will gives you the shown item.
This is just my theory. This seems to work for the first few rounds but should be checked on later rounds to see if it holds up.

[@MylstarElectronics]

ZUNTATA!!

[@ErikRosenquist]

Flawlessly epic!

[@JackTheGamer3]

Same number sprites as puzzle bobble 2!!!!

[@brantnuttall]

nice playing but I have to admit this game just doesn't have the same gravitas as the earlier versions..........

[@RenegadeScooter]

I find it odd that this game cuts you off after the first half of the boards, and you can only fight Doh by entering a code at the start of a new game to start on the second half, but also you can only play one half of the game at a time

[@vgcf86]

hey