This was one of my first TASes. I didn't think it would be acceptable due to the ending time, but then I saw ShesChardcore submitted a slower run than mine and was accepted (not published).
Comparing the two side by side, mine is 9 frames faster and was completed sometime in 2022.
Additionally, mine finishes 20 minutes faster due to difficulty settings which will surely be much more enjoyable for YouTube. The dificulty settings make no difference in this run as all content is skipped.
RTA difference is 20 minutes, TAS difference is 9 frames.
Using the default difficulty saves some frames, and ShesChardcore placed Kevin further to the left on the steps, which causes the robot to grab Kevin X amount of frames later. I also have quicker and "instant" (no RTA setup) movement to the entry point, although this is negated in any final time gain as you have to wait for the robot to spawn, but it's pretty. Additionally, I release L on the earliest possible frame right on the edge of the hitbox of being grabbed by the bandits. All in all, time saved. Or rather, it was shorter to begin with. Glad to pull this one from the archives. Hope you enjoy my run.
Darkman425: Claiming for judging.
Darkman425: Replaced with the correct input file.
The current publication spends some time setting the difficulty level to Expert. This submission leaves the difficulty level at the default Beginner. The main difference in difficulties, aside from the game timer, is that there are Expert only traps and crafted weapons. Since the methods are the same for ending input early across difficulties, the menuing to go about that doesn't itself counts as a valid time save since none of the Expert difficulty content was ever interacted with in the first place. However the change in menuing did affect when the robot used for the screen wrap glitch appeared and also saved an additional frame, so both parts are a valid improvement.
Accepting as an improvement over [5108] Genesis Home Alone by ShesChardcore in 00:39.20.
There was a small discussion about which one constitutes having the "best ending". I came to the conclusion that neither technically have the "best ending". There is a maximum rank the game can give by earning over 250,000 points called "Certified Expert". That isn't the whole story since with some testing it's possible to get that rank without actually saving all the houses, just that the Wet Bandits get caught by the police and the score threshold is met. There's also the choice of a maximum score run which would get that title and save all the houses for the bonus points. Whether these theoretical branches would be separate or not is something that only future me should worry about if that time comes.
despoa: Processing...