TASEmulators
TAStudio Feature Request: Superimpose Input
This feature is a checkbox that is available in FCEUX's TAS Editor. It is a checkbox on the UI (it's in the Recorder group box on TAS Editor as seen here) that, when enabled, will cause input recorded in record mode to be superimposed over extant input, rather than clearing buttons that aren't pressed.
Excerpt from the TAS Editor help file on the feature:
The "Superimpose" checkbox in the Recorder section allows to combine the existing Input with the newly recorded data on the same segment of the movie. For example, you can draw the R buttonpresses on rather long segment with a single mouse stroke, to make the character run right. Then you can enable the "Superimpose" option, turn on Recording and play the game by pressing only jump and shoot buttons, without the need to hold Right. The character in the game will still run right, jumping and shooting on command.
Unlike other checkboxes, the "Superimpose" option has three possible states. In addition to "enabled" and "disabled" it can also be in an interim state between these two. The third state works like this: when the player presses some gamepad buttons during Recording, these buttons are recorded in place of old Input. But if the player presses no buttons during Recording, the old Input on these frames is not overwritten.
Examples of when this feature could be useful, based on scenarios I have personally experienced:
- You're TASing a racing game where you want the accelerator button to be held down for the entire race. In TAStudio, you could right-click the button header to make it get held down when record mode is on, but if you are TASing and in read-only mode, the button doesn't get held down. With superimpose, you could TAS in record mode (risky, I know) so that you could only bother with inputs related to turning, while the accelerator button is held down every frame so you don't have to keep painting more of that input.
- You've TASed a section of a game where not much is happening, and decide later that you'd like to synchronize some actions to the music of the game. You don't want to erase the input that is there since it's important to the rest of the run syncing up, but going into record mode to jump or whatever in time with the music would erase extant input. With superimpose, you could let the input play out as normal while also pressing your jump button in time with the music. You could time actions with music with regular input painting, but the process could be sped up greatly by using your ears in real-time.
The link in the original post is outdated; here's the current URL: https://fceux.com/web/assets/debugging_environment_1900px.png
