SMB1 TAS commentary/ Tutorial

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Okay, let's make a full big description of how to do so fast TAS and what problems you can have with this.
Probably the best emulator for TAS'ing (tool assisted speedruning) is BizHawk, current version of this you can easily found in Internet.
This run was done on Fceux 2.2.3, it have some difference, for example some methods of Flagpole glitch can work not as easy as on console (not sure about this), but overall both emulators are legitimate.
Both BizHawk and Fceux emulator movies were replayed back on real console by TASbot and it was same on console with emulator, so I don't know why I had problems with Fceux, but I'm telling you for occasion, if you will have same problems.
If you want to make a TAS you must choose TAS studio or TAS editor of TAS allowing emulators. You will see big table of inputs and frames. You can choose what you want to do in every frame. This using for making perfect speedruns and it is intresting, because you need to be very clever to do some tricks, so even in TAS more people can't be near world record.
Of course it is not allowed for RTA leaderboards.
When start project you must press T on Fceux or s on BizHawk TAS studio to on 32nd or 33nd frame to make game starting as fast as possible.
But during TAS project you can clone first 21 empty frames to manipulate game and get another bullet bill shoots or patterns in 8-4 and for otimal run.
If I missed something you can found very more information about SMB1 TAS tricks in http://tasvideos.org/GameResources/NES/SuperMarioBros.html
Don't forget about save your project very often and choose folder for it.
PERFECT THINGS
Just for fun you can do more perfect things and don't really lose any time, because when you do it in real time, you can lose 1 frame.
Backward jump: Press R then L for 1 frame and then R  and A(jump) When you are on ground.
Jump and jump again: Press A at last frame, when you not on the ground and you will jump again as fast as possible, this is because game allow inputs, that was in previous frame.
Crouch jump: If you are big Mario you can stop press right and press A and D(down) for one frame and you will get perfect crouch without losing any speed.
You can also test real time viable tricks in theory TAS to see what you do wrong in real time.
The important thing is 21 FRAME RULE which means that game check if you finish level every 21 frame and you can finish level in few frames faster or slower and don't save or lose every time. Basicly you can save or lose only 21X frames, excpect last 8-4 level, where you can save or lose any quantity of frames.
FASTER ACCELERATION
The major glitch that I used during the run is faster acceleration at the beginning of every level. Mario accelerate to full speed not at one moment, normally, so it is possible to accelerate faster by 2 backward jumps.
At first test when is 1st frame where you can control Mario. Just make 1 frame jump inputs for each frame before Mario will jump. Remember this frame and delete jump from them. At this frame press Left (L) and Right (R) . This is the glitch, that impossible on normal controller, but tcehnically real on console and allowed to TAS runs (and some RTA).
Left and Right make you standart walk speed at one moment. This is also used for other tricks.
At second frame press A (jump) and Right for 1 frame. Then Press Right and B (accelerate button) for every frame of passing, excpect some special frames.
When you land on the ground (at first frame you see Mario on the ground) stop press right and press left for one frame. At next frame press A and you will get full speed, you can press A for as more frames as you want (press right again).
This trick working differently in levels when you are falling down at start, like in 1-2 or 4-2.
You must press B and R before you land on the ground and press Left+right for 1st frame, where you can see that Mario turn round for one frame.
You will get walk speed faster and then make Backward jump at first possible frame, when you will get full speed after it. This can save small time.
It works in water section as in 1-2, so press Left+right in first possible frame and you will save 1 frame in water section to get "329" on timer in 8-4.
Also if you have speed better then walk you don't need to press left+right, just make backward jump at first frame, when you get full speed after it.
If you already know a lot in TAS, you can try small improvement for this method of fast acceleration (use Sockfolder's practise ROM to be sure that it works). Before 2nd jump, try to release right for 1 frame, like R-Nothing-R-L-RA-RA... (and B everywhere, of course).
It saves half of pixel, but mostly don't save even 1 frame for full level.
FLAGPOLE GLITCH.
It was mostly TAS only trick, but a lot of people did it in real time.
In every level with flagpole you can skip animation, when flag falls down. It is very hard trick even for TAS and work differently in different flagpoles.
In real time people mostly try to do Sockfolders method of Flagpole glitch. You can watch the tutorial here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucBAwdS3YB4
In more flagpoles on BizHawk it works correctly same is on video, which makes Flagpole glitch technically possible in RTA.
But if you did something different before flag stairs, like faster acceleration, which not used in real time runs, you will miss subpixels. Subpixel is a thing that makes you different positions at 1 pixel, even it is not visible. So if you did flagpole glitch in 1 level and make same inputs (for example, jump into the first pixel of something on first possible jump frame in 2 different levels), flagpole glitch can not work. Subpixels made for correct programming, and you can't see it on screen.
Also this method mostly save 21 frames at the end of level, but the own timesave is 14 frames, so you can't save time in some level with this method of flagpole glitch, for example in 8-1.
On fceux easy variant of this method mostly not work, so now I will write tutorial how to do this method of flagpole glitch on any emulator with TAS editor:
Download Lunar IPS from here
http://www.speedrun.com/smb1/resources
This is the program, which make patches or updates for old Read-only-memory files, like Super mario bros.nes game file for emulators. (You open this file in emulator, when starting game)
Then copy super mario bros.nes file to another folder on your computer.
Then download Sockfolder's patch for Super mario bros, which he make specially for his method of Flagpole glitch from here
http://www.speedrun.com/smb1/resources
Open Lunar IPS and press apply ips file, choose sockfolder's patch, then choise your new super mario bros.nes file (copy).
If project was succesfully patched, all right.
Then open your copy super mario bros.nes ROM in your emulator and load TAS project. Emulator can ask you about different ROM, but you can load and then save project in new ROM and then come back to normal game file.
So, you are near the flagpole.
Make big jump to the first pixel of correct stair (2nd from end). After start this jump, stop press B (accelerate button).
Found 1st frame when you land on the stair. At this point start press "B" again.
After 2 frames start press jump. Make very more frames with A+B+R before you will be near the flagpole.
Watch for the Mario score at the top left of screen, if you playing on Sockfolder's ROM.
Found what combinations of letters and numbers are stabilty during your jump to the flagpole.
You need number with D70 at the end. If it is already (happens sometimes, when you playing on BizHawk, all right).
If end of combination "more" then D70, like "D80" or "E20" you need to make few attemts to get "D70". You just need clean "R" button in 1 or 2 frames after jump (near stair, when you land). You must try few combinations and you will get "D70"
If end of combination is "C90", "D60" or something "not as much" as "D70" you need start press "B" at the second frame after you landing on stair and press "A" after 2 frames from pressing "B". You will get "more" then "D70" and you can manipulate game by cleaning "R" on  1 or 2 frames (they can be anywhere, just do attemts and found "D70") or do left press for 1 or more frames and then right again.
If you will do all right, you can make TAS Flagpole glitch in every level with 2nd stair from end like in 1-1 with any inputs thet you did before stair on this level.
In most levels and with most of inputs before flagpole (but not in all) you can do faster method of flagpole glitch, possible only in TAS and used in most of TAS'es, like in my.
Do a small jump at last part of stairs or something before flagpole. For example you did jump with 2 frames with pressing "A" (mostly jump need to be only small, doesn't matter how, but if you want to jump with some frames, please make attemting jumps from different pixels or frames, but with same number of frames as in you prevoius attemt). Found first frame, when if you do 2 frames jump after this frame you will touch flagpole normally and flag will falls down. Clean "B" and "R" buttons in frames, when you near the flagpole.
Start attemt presses left for 2 frames in frames near the flagpole. Found last 2 frames, when you not touched flagpole normally after pressing left.
Mario should like clip into the flagpole block and then come left.
Found last frame, when Mario not in the flagpole block. Then press left for 4 frames and press jump at the last frame, when you press left. You need get "forward" jump after it (Mario watch forward). If you got it, you should touch flagpole from block and glitch will work. Game will think that youy are already falls down with flag and will push you to the castle.
If any questions ask me on youtube.
PIPE JUMPS
This is not cheating. If you jump to edge of the pipe and will jump again, Mario will continue live.
LAG FRAMES
This frames not affecting enemies positions and framerules at levels, but affecting final time. Try to avoid them if you can (lag frames between levels are fine). If you have xtra lag frame during level, you maybe hited too much enemies, ot hited them wrong (for example lag frame can appear at bullet bill glitch at the end of 8-2).
INDIVIDUAL LEVELS COMMENTARY
1-1:
Underground part is really important and hard even for TAS. I didn't use backward jump in first, becuase it can't make full speed for Mario and after landing on the stone the speed will be full after 1 or 2 frames, so second backward jump is like second jump for faster acceleration. The 3 jump of underground part is small jump at the end in first possible frame, when I willn't touch bricks again after jump. Then small pressing left to make optimal entering to the pipe.
Then faster acceleration and flagpole glitch.
1-2:
perfect small jumps, other things and pipe jumps.
At the end you can see very strange clip throght pipe, going to end of pipes and then turn around. This is hard trick, that can save 21 frames from normal entering into the warp zone.
You need to slow speed down to the walk speed. If you will do backward jump before it, you can slow speed down faster. Right before landing I pressed left+right, it makes walk speed for Mario faster. Actually, you can slow speed down without jumping, only by left+right, it is pretty good.
You wil test so lot of input combinations and this clip should be insanely hard for you even in TAS. You must do all things perfectly.
You must press A for only 1 frame in perfect pixel after landing. Test lot of input combinations before you will go to the pipe afer jump for few pixels and then game will push Mario to exit of the pipe. If you got it press left at the frames, when game trying to push you backward. If all right you can press right at the frame before landing inside the pipe, and you will continue going inside the pipe.
When you went through wall after pipe clip you can't jump up, but you can do it at th edge of last brick.
You can't get at the first pipe in any% run as fast as possible, because you will go to th minus world. This is why clip through pipe can save only 1 frame rule. You anyway need to go to the right before screen will be in postion where "welcome to the warp zone" appears.
After that you must go left into the pipe to world 4. It is not very hard to save 1-2 framerule  in TAS, but you need good clip through pipe. The easiest way for it is jump at the last position from the brick to the last pipe and press right before you will touch the pipe.
Then press left and jump to the second pipe as late as you can to get maximal speed, if it possible, do faster accelerations. after landing on second pipe do a small jump to enter in 1st possible pixel of world 4 pipe.
Another method that is maybe as fast is getting walljump at the 3d pipe.
in most of pipes you can test few jumps to the different positions in the side of the pipe. Mostly you will normally falls down, but there is few jumps to the walljump platform, which you can see in 8-4 runs, it used also in real time.
Mostly walljump platform is in middle of the pipe. You need to test few jump to near middle of pipe side before you will get the animtion when Mario standing on the wall of the pipe (side of the pipe) for a few frames. If you will add jump input at first possible frame (right 1 frame before you see mario on pipe), Mario will jump. It is used to get into the places, which are very high and it is slower or not possible to get in this places without walljump.
At the end of 1-2 you can found the walljump platform on the last pipe (pipe to world 2) in the warp zone. If you will do walljump at this place, you can stop press right and press left, when you do walljump, and you will jump to the world 3 pipe with some left speed. Then normal entering to world 4.
THE FASTEST ROAD AT THE END OF 1-2 will save you framerule with even slowest setups for pipe clip.
You need the backward jump to the second edge of world 3 pipe from the brick at the wall. start to press left before you will touch the pipe, but not too early, beacues you can touch the piranja plant. Press left+right at the frame before Mario land on the pipe (1st frame, when Mario can jump again). Left+right will make your speed very slower and you can slow speed down very fast. At new frame do the jump and press left again. You need jump only for 2 frames and you will touch the world 3 pipe again after jump and screen will be in perfect position to make warp zone work ("welcome to warp zone appears"),  then normal entering to world 4.
Maybe there is more strategies for even faster clip trough wall, but it I hope my strats are most usefule. Be ready for problems at this level, but you can do this!
4-1
This is easy level, only things you need it full speed during level and flagpole glitch at th end. You can easily save this frame rule even with sockfolder's method of flagpole glitch. For fastest flagpole glitch you can't do anything that you want to, but it is anyway easy.
4-2
I hope you know that on this level we walking to righter pixels of the screen (20 or more pixels from standart position) to do the wrong warp glitch. If you don't know it see darbian's tutorial of Super Mario Bros real time speedrun in 4-2 or watch video when darbian or andrewg explains wrong warp. At this tutorial I want to tell you how to do fastest thoery 4-2 with TAS editor.
Normal way how to do it in real time is 3 bumps by backward jumps to the wall, block, platform, etc. 3 jumps will push you more then 20 pixels to the right. Technically in TAS or RTA you can do this glitch with 2 backward jumps. This is more easier method then basic only for real time and for beginners. I used in it in my obsolete 4:54.8x TAS.I think that clip trough wall can push you to the right faster and it is very easier to explain.
If you go to TAS backward jumps you can techniaclly do it firstly in real time and then copy inputs frame by frame to the TAS. It is boring and you need to be good at real time runs butit is a way to do fast wrong warp (not fast enough to save perfect TAS frame rule, which saved in my 4:54.05 TAS).
For another way you need have special practise ROM or Fceux lua script which can show you your X-position (to see, does game push you 20 pixels to the right or not). I don't know where to get the ROM or how to use the script, so you can try imself if you really want.
Then do bumps to first coin block at the bottome and to the move platform. If you got 20 pixels (XPOS or POS - 132, x-position) you just need to entry the pipe at the first possible pixel as fast as you can. You need to slow speed down before you will entry the pipe. You really need zero (no) speed, when you press down, because speed will move screen to the right and change x-position back.
This was backward jumps method. But I more reccomend to you method, which me and lot other people used in TAS and also started to use in real time speedruns, see my video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exQyeIq4NUM, done while stream.
This is TOP WALL CLIP at the position you can see at the runs.
You need the exact subpixel at, when you will be at the wall, so there is no sence to use faster acceleration at the start of fast 4-2.
You automaticly can get this subpixel, when you pressing right and B from starting level to the wall. This is the reason, why this clip possible in RTA.
Make a jump from a right edge of 1st block with coin, or from the left edge of the block with 2nd coin, there is few variants how to get the clip. You can easily test the clip by jumping from different frames, just watch the video of the clip.
Make a jump 4 or 5 frames long. I think 4 is better, but with some different inputs you can get it with 5, so test, if you can't with 4. Youi should see Mario entering the brick for few pixels and then going out, like when you tried 1-2 clip. You just need to press left when you see Mario touch the brick. If all right, Mario will go to the brick almost fully, but then anyway go out. To make movement to the right possible you should NOT press right at the brick and make a jump, when you will land inside the brick. The goal is to hit higher block, hitting higher block will push Mario to teh right without moving screen to the right, this is the reason, why this clip makes wrong warp work. But you need few mor pixels to the right, so don't move for a few frames inside the vbrick. This will make game push you to the right side of the screen. Then start to press right, for faster acceleration you can try to press left+right for 1 frames, but I don't think that it is really important. Make an easy imputs (just for test) with entering the pipe. Then try add earlier and earlier R inputs inside the block, whicle wrong warp working. When you will see that wrong warp not work, delte first right press inside wall.
Another thing you need is fast entering the pipe to wrong warp. Easiest way to get that is doing backward jump before pie and just do a slowing at the end of jump to zero speed at the pixel, when you can entry the pipe. Tha what I used in my 4:54.03 TAS. Stop press R and press L+R for 1 frame when you already landed on the pipe. You can't test left presses somewhere else. Found earliest frame when you press down and wrong warp works.
At the upground part of 4-2, do fast accel and entertainment before turning to warp zone. To do perfect turnaround there press L+R for 1 or 2 frames (different routes). Perfect frame for it, maybe few frames eralier then Mario falls down. Then don't press L or R for few frames. Then press left and after landing on pipe to world six do fast acceleration, already moving to the left. Releasing left and right for few frames making Mario not to hit brick, while falling down from it. It is visually faster, so test some different amount of empty frames (only with B, maybe), press left as early as possible, when mario not hitting brick (you can understand this, if Mario will be at the leftest position down in the pipe).
8-1
Fast accel and start and then do what you want through the level. Only one exception is place with star block (you can see it lot of run of Super Mario Bros). It is very important in RTA runs to hit start block at the first possible pixel. If not go for flagpole glitch, it can save some frames and saves RTA framerule from current single-segment world record and from lot of other runs. In TAS, if you go for flagpole glitch., just do a full jump in earliest possible frame, when you can hit the block, but I'm not sure if this affecting anything after flagpole glitch.
To save perfect framerule in this level, you must do only fastest possible method of flagpole glitch, you can't save framerule by Sockfolder's method from RTA time, even with perfect fast accel at start.
8-2
Bullet bill glitch (BBG) or flagpole glitch using an enemy means skippin cutscene, when Mario walks from falgpole to castle. It is not possible withou enemy.
Perfect framerul at 8-2 is one of haredest timesaves in TAS. For single-segment runs we don't need absolutely perfect shot to get fastest RTA framerule so far. But in TAS, even with perfect fast acceleration, perfect pipe jump at the middle of the level and perfect bullet bill glitch, we still need perfect shot to get fastest framerule. I'm not exactly sure what affecting bullet bill shot, so I'm not recommend you to try save framerule over single-segment real time world record. This time, I'm gonna teach you how to do save at least this framerule.
The main time improvement during the level is pipe jump. In real time, people jumping over and it's also fast, but doing pipe jump is faster. To do it perfectly do backward jump to earliest possible pixel of ground before pipe, then do as fast jump to pipe as possible. Save it. Release right for all this place and do left presses, but not too much. If you will do them before jump, you should have less of them then after jump, but final tim can be same and also this inputs can be changed after to manipulate bullet bill shot. Cut jump to as small as possible with jumping to the pipe. At the pipe, start press right, when can avoid piranja plant. Do big jump immideately when you can on the pipe. If you still hiting piranja plant, do bigger slowdown.
Now to bullet shot. Do normal finish of level with flagpole glitch and "342" on timer to avoid fireworks (lose some time somewhere, if you are too fast). You need to save 1 framerule over this route. If you don't have fast bullet shot try to test anything before it, different koopa kills after pipe jump, different inputs at pipe jump slowdown, different kills before and something else, if you did backward jump for entertainment, for example. Not so easy, but I think it's not too hard to found bullet bill shot to save 1 frameule, becuase TAS world record saves 2 framerules. If you don't have after all combinations, try to add 21 frames before pressing start at the title screen. It willn't change anything until 8-1 and not necessary will change 8-1 (I don't know why 8-1 changing sometimes, enemies are on same position anyway, but some small subpixels can be changed and some tricks will have need to do again.) But it gonna seriously change 8-2,8-3 and 8-4 enemies postions (patterns). Then try again different combinations or add 21 frames more.
Note that sometimes in TAS, frames at start counts, so if you using that method of timing you don't need to try bullet bill glitch, if it not works on perfect framerule, but I recommend you use RTA timing and different start framerules until you will try to tie world record.
If you already have fast bullet bill shot, just do jump to bullet, when it closing to flagpole to reach it in samme time. You can try left presses near flagpole to get it or even use real time inputs entering, what I used for the first time. Be sure to avaoid lag frame, which can happen during this glitch. Also be sure to jump at first possible frame, when you can do the glitch, which means first frame, when you jumps to position near bottom of flagpole and hit bullet bill without killing Mario. If you did inputs in real time, delete frame before they starts (not all frames can have possibilty of bullet bill glitch, only half of them, that what "coin toss" means, so delete 1 more frame if on not even gets glitch).
8-3
Do fast accel and start and jump to top of the flagpole at the end. Bottom of the flagpole without flagpole glitch is loswer, becuase Mario stomping on bottom of the pole, what wasting time. It's not possible to get "244" and flagpole glitch, so flagpole glitch without slowing down will give you 3 fireworks. You can slow down during level for entertainment to get earliest possible "242" on timer with flagpole glitch - it's gonna be absolutely same time in total.
8-4 1st room
You can try release right in 9 frames, before second jump of fast acceleration to save frame in this room. This is similar to 1 frame right release for perfect fast acceleration as I told at the beginning. If you are beginner, you shouldn't care about this frame too much. Be sure to go to pipe perfectly, pressing down for only 1 frame, becuase down presses makeing Mario slower.
8-4 2nd room
Room with walljump is not that hard to get perfectly as it looks, but anyway there are few precise movements. Coming out of pipe, do 1st jump of fast acceleration normally, and for second do just 1 frame left press. It should look like backwards going from pipe without jumping. You may do same inputs for every same pipe in the game, for example at final room of 8-4.
To do walljump walk down from previous pipe without jumping. Do backward jump as early as possible. This jump should be almost full, which means, you should full jump and then remove final A presses. If you still don't hit walljump pixel, do some left presses during this jump, for example R-L-R. Add them step by step (no two left presses on a row). Do maximum if this presses as long as you stil hit walljump pixel. That makes you have leftest position on walljump pixel and better acceleration to the pipe. Do walljump as early as possible. Optimal walljump is 2 or 3 frame long from platforms like this. Then just press right and then down for 1 frame as early as possible. You can try press L+R as soon as you landed on pipe after walljump, but that mostly saves only subpixels, not even frame.
8-4 3d room
Don't care about doing it perfect at the beginning of TASing. It's not possible to do normal fast accel at start of this room, becuase you can't do backward jump again, or land on next brick wihtout jumping, so you need release right for 1 of frames between 1st and second jump to make Mario little bit lefter and 2nd backward jump possible. Do backward jump at the last possible frame without touching piranja plant and stop it first possible frame without touching piranja plant or landing on pipe. For perfect turnaround found 1st frame when you can jump, add L+R there, next frame add 5 or 6 frames long jump (same with 1-2 warp zone). Then test where you can start press left (before landing and L+R) with keeping possibilty of wrong warp to water room (you need reach exact rightest position during your jump after the pipe to make game think that you already got past this pipe and switch all pipes from wrong room to water room, instead of using next pipe normally). Press left all the time, do fast acceleration back to the pipe and press down for going to water room). If you can't do final fast accel jump and bumping to pipe, just do left release at this jump and you willn't bump into pipe, but you will go exactly as you want. World record have literally not understandable input combination, so just do like that if you are beginner.
If Mario was hited by upcoming fish, add 21 frames at start of the run, but you will need to found bullet bill shot again.
8-4 water room
Press L+r at first frame with possibilty to control Mario. The test frames when you can press swim (same with jump button) and L+R and will get full speed. This is how faster acceleration works in water. Do entertainent until exit. To make perfect exit you shoudn't have any frame with Mario standing on bricks in the end and through all water except start. To do it, test basic smal swims by 1 frame A press to water exit. If you swimming little bit over, try to make final swim 2 frames long or more. Holding swim (jump) buttin longer, makes swim smaller. If you hadn't reached exit before landing, just add another swim and test again. Obviously if you have too much swims and going high, just remove one of them.
8-4 final room
Nothing special, normal fast acceleration, coming out of pipe and axe grab at left edge. Just be sure that you can go through podobo and bowser hammers. If you can't, add 21 frames at the start of run and found previous patterns of enemies positions again.
Thanks for reading tutorial, good luck on TASing Super Mario Bros!

Glory to Father, Son and Holy Spirit!