(watch it in the emulator if possible, as the quality of the video is bad).
Emulator details
- Emulator used: Snes9x 1.43v12 (Should run on all newer versions of 1.43)
- Sync settings: Use WIP1 timing
- Allow Left+Right Up+Down
- Uses Reset Rerecord
Run specifics
- Any% item collection
- Aims for lowest realtime
- Manipulates luck
- Takes damage to save time
- Abuses programming errors
- Uses death as a shortcut
This is an improvement of 627 frames (143 frames ingame) over my last run in the same category. I got motivated to start the run due to a lot of discussion and testing breaking out about a potential upcoming 100% run, and due to some of the improvements that had been shown in recent runs. The vast majority of the improvement, over 400 frames, comes from Tourian, due to a couple of key realizations I had about the Metroid rooms during the making of the run. A lot of the rest come from better realtime optimization, in particular syncing up the screen at door transitions to minimize scrolling.
Breakdown of improvements
Ceres - 1 frame
Not much of an improvement. The fadeout lag after escaping was reduced by 1 frame for reasons unknown. I checked all the current runs to see if any of them had gotten an even better fadeout, but at best they were tied.
Crateria and Blue Brinstar - 20 frames
The first set of improvements here come courtesy of Saturn and the team making the RBO. The CWJ on the door after morphball saves 4 frames, and Saturn's method of breaking the bomb blocks before the diagonal saved an equal amount. I was also lucky to avoid having to delay any frames in order to get all missile drops in the diagonal room, which saved another few frames. The last improvement was mockballing through the door at the end of the diagonal room. This was a bit slower ingame, but got the screen in a much better position to reduce the time of the door transition.
Green and Pink Brinstar - 28 frames
I managed to open the red door leading to the Super Missile pack 1 frame faster by delaying the last missile by 1 frame, which gave it enough extra momentum to reach the door quicker. And with some careful subpixel optimization I was still able to jump through the door at the same speed as in the old run. Another frame was saved when leaving the save room by using the walljump check to gain some extra distance in my jump up the ledge. The big improvement came from jumping through the door leading to the first Pink Brinstar room to reduce the time of the door transition, and since I still needed to get two drops here, I didn't lose more than a few frames ingame from doing this. I also managed to reduce the last little bit of door scrolling in the room before the crumbling bridge by making a higher jump slightly earlier. The door CWJ leading to Red Brinstar which was used in the RBO saved another 2 frames.
Red Brinstar - 65 frames
Through better luck I was able to refill faster in the flower room. I was able to remove the last bit of door scrolling when entering the room with the PB pack. I managed to do this because I noticed the screen didn't start scrolling downwards until I had reached a certain point in my fall down to the door. So by keeping my hotbox small by aiming down, and extending at just the right moment (by moving forward), I got the screen exactly where I wanted it. In the pre X-ray room a few frames where lost by getting another drop, which later saved time on my way to Tourian. In the same room, on my way back after getting X-ray, I saved a significant amount of time by improving the bomb jumping section. I had to keep back a bit in order to do diagonal jumps all the way, because if I had been just a few pixels further ahead when placing the last bomb I would have triggered the yapping maw to try and grab me. At the end of the room I skip the last health pickup, which saves 14 frames. Back in the Red Brinstar shaft, I managed to avoid 1 more frame of lag from the PB explosion from some careful movement, and the jump through the door was slightly better in terms of reducing the time of the door transition.
Green/Pink Brinstar and Crateria again - 36 frames
On my way up in the big Green Brinstar room I saved a couple of frames by using the walljump check to grab a few ledges a frame quicker (pressing (V>) on the same frame instead of just (V). When entering the last Pink Brinstar room, I saved a very unexpected number of frames (10 or so) from not aiming down on the frame I went through the door. In almost all cases this has absolutely no affect on the game, the only other room I've seen where it does make a difference is the room with the PB pack, but the difference it makes there is only 1 frame. Anyway, I also saved a decent amount of time by not picking up a PB drop, which drop very rarely from these enemies, and would have required a long delay. I pick up a big energy ball to make up for the one I skipped in Red Brinstar, and also a missile. Picking up both these took slightly longer than the 14 frames I saved from skipping the other pickup, but having 2 extra missiles saves 10 frames later in Tourian.
Tourian (Metroid rooms) - 427 frames
The biggest improvement comes from realizing that the first PB could be placed much earlier in the 1st and 3rd room. This is due to some glitch that only functions in those two rooms, which makes every Metroid get hit as long as one of them is hit by the PB blast (if the one you do hit takes damage twice, though, the rest still only get hit once). I had noticed this glitch earlier, but thought that they still needed to be on screen to get hit. I only realized this after almost finishing the run, and had to go back and redo these rooms again. I was quite lucky in the first room to get 3 PB's to drop at once, so that I only had to use X-ray for luck manipulation once. In the 3rd room I had to skip a lot of armpumps when running past the first Metroid to reduce a lot of lag (oddly enough, later in the room it reduced lag to armpump). I got somewhat lucky here too, and got two PB's to drop at once with only a small delay. In the 4th room a lot of time was saved on reducing lag due to another weird quirk. In the 2nd and 4th room, placing a PB on the first frame possible after a previous PB explosion adds a ton of lag. Delaying for just 1 frame on the 2nd and 3rd PB saved almost 100 frames in the 4th room. In the 2nd room I had already managed to avoid this in my old run due to random chance.
And the Rest - 50 frames
In the OoB part of the Big Metroid skip, I found that I could do a few corner boosts to save a few frames. I saved a small amount of time from jumping through the red door after that reduce door scrolling, then I saved 1 frame was saved from a better jump through the Eye Door, and a few more where saved from jumping through the door to the save room to reduce more door scrolling. When leaving the save room (both in Green Brinstar and Tourian), I save 1 frame in the same manner as I did earlier when saving the first time, and 1 more frame was saved from doing a slightly better jump in the OoB part of the MB skip. During the escape I lost about 20 frames in the second room from not killing the Space Pirate on the wall with a Super. This was regained, and then some, by doing a door CWJ when leaving the 3rd room. I had to have an extra Super here to kill the Space Pirate on the wall, as it would have fired a beam at me if I didn't, which would in turn have blocked my jumping path for a long time. A small amount of time was saved from crouching while taking damage from the last Space Pirate to avoid a damage boost. This is slightly slower ingame, but keeps the screen in a better position for the door transition. Finally, I manipulated a slightly better steam pattern in the escape to save the last few frames.
Suggested Screenshots
I have a couple of suggested screenshots that I either though looked good or acted as a statement about the run. I don't think they are usable because of the compressions standards, so I'll include the frame numbers as well. They are, in order: 38170, 40177, 61252, 70378, 72469, 75409.
Thanks to
As usual, thanks to Kejardon for making this run possible to begin with. Also thanks to Hero of the Day, Kriole, Saturn and Taco for their recent runs which brough on new improvements for my run, as well as keeping development going in general. And thanks to everyone partaking in discussion in the Super Metroid thread, in particular Eye of the Beholder and 4N6.
Nach: Accepting as improvement to existing run.