Game Information
Illusion of Gaia is an action/RPG. It's actually the second in a trilogy, the first being Soul Blazer and the third being Terranigma. It was also released in French as "Illusion of Time". It's a very linear game, so there isn't much room for improvisation. The main character, Will, travels the world with his friends to find his dad, but quickly finds himself in the middle of a much more complicated story. For a more detailed description of the game, you can check out its article on Wikipedia.
Movie Information
Emulator used: Snes9X v1.43+ v9
- Use WIP1 Timing
- Fake Mute desync workaround
Goals/Aims
- Collect all the red jewels
- Complete optional quest: Gem's Mansion
- Fastest time possible
- Manipulate luck
- No damage
Special Thanks
Acmlm: He found the memory location used for manipulating the position of the fisherman holding the third red jewel. He also found at what value the fisherman appeared in the right spot. Later, it was found that this memory location was the RNG index itself.
Nitsuja: In the first part of my work on this run, I used Snes9x's Memory Watch feature to see the RNG and manipulate luck that way. Not only that, but he also is the one who basically makes this TAS possible because he modified Snes9x to give it TASing capabilities.
Gocha: He developed the Snes9x Memory Watcher external tool. That was incredibly useful for the whole run. I started that program on my second screen while I TASed on the main screen. That way, I always saw all my watches at the same time without clogging Snes9x's screen with watched variables text.
Nitrodon: As always, Nitrodon has been there hacking the game, helping me to manipulate luck. If it wasn't for him, this TAS would never have seen daylight. I can't even begin to list the places where he has been helpful. As always, HUGE thanks go to Nitrodon.
Tricks & Techniques
The tricks and techniques discussed here are divided in two categories: new and old ones. The new ones weren't known when I did the any%. There are a few more techniques than those listed here, but I can't remember them all, so I'll just write about those other ones when I get to them in the comments.
Some of these tricks simply do not work anymore after I get the Psycho Slider, so don't come complaining that I didn't use a trick where you think I could, because I couldn't (because of the Psycho Slider).
Charge without hitting (new)
Normally, to charge a psycho dash or a dark friar, you would have to swing the sword first. Nitrodon found a way to start charging without swinging the sword. Here's how (if you want to start running UP): up, nil, up, up, down+A, up+A.
Block while running (new)
Normally, you can't run while spinning the flute (blocking). Nitrodon found a way to do so (if you want to run UP): up, nil, up, up+R, R, up+R.
Hit while running (new)
This trick only applies for Freedan and Shadow. The trick allows you to swing the sword / the arm while running without having to stop and without having to move in a perpendicular direction. Here is how (if you are running LEFT): run left, left+A, nil, left, continue running left.
Hit cancellation
You can cancel a sword swing by pressing a perpendiculat direction 2 frames after the press of the A button. For example, if you attacked an enemy to the left, you could do this: A, nil, nil, up or down. This allows for faster recovery between hits, making it possible to start running earlier after a hit. This can be used while running too: cancelling a hit will allow you to continue running in that direction.
Telekinesis while running
While running, you can use telekinesis for 1 frame up to 8 times in a single run. This allows me to "pull" statues while running up to them, instead of pulling them while standing still. Telekinesis also blocks attacks, so I can do the same to block projectiles too.
After-hit invincibility
Enemies in IoG are invincible for a short period of time after they get hit. When they are invincible, they can't hurt you and you can run through them easily. This also applies to enemies that are "not killable". Even though they don't suffer damage, they become harmless for a short period of time, allowing me to run right through them.
Moving an object while walking away from it (new)
Moving an object takes 16 frames. This means that I can walk away from it for 14 frames, face it on the 15th frame, and move it on the 16th frame. This can be repeated, making it possible to move an object towards you while you walk away from it without losing time.
Faster map destination selection (new)
When it comes to selecting a destination, I can do so way before the actual dialog appears. This means that I can select a destination before the dialog appears, and so that dialog disappears instantaneously. I saved an average of 5-6 frames on each map travel, compared to the any%.
Jumping up slopes (new)
When it comes to small slopes, you can jump over them with Will by doing a jump attack at the very last moment possible. Alternatively, when it comes to longer slopes, you can do the same to start running at the same speed you would if you went up the slope and then went down that slope. Only you didn't have to do that, you just jumped up the slope a little.
Other info
You can get savestates for every town/dungeon visited in the game, sorted in chronological order on the speedrun section of my website.
The any% run was my comparison point for this whole TAS. You can find an excel spreadsheet which shows exactly how much time was saved, how much was lost, and where. Most of the time lost can be blamed on Red Jewels though. Overall, this 100% run was 8813 frames slower than the any% (2 minutes, 26 seconds and 53 frames). Considering that I had to get all the 50 Red Jewels AND complete Gem's Mansion, it's an incredible feat.
To clear things up a bit, the 100% was actually FASTER than the any% up until Gem's Mansion. It was exactly 2246 frames faster after all the boss refights were done. Only it lost about 3 minutes to go get the remaining Red Jewels and complete Gem's Mansion. If it weren't for Gem's Mansion, the 100% would obsolete the any%.
I'm not going to write a novel, as all I would do is spoil the fun for you guys. On this note, enjoy this movie!