This is my first submission -- I lack the skill level to execute these tricks RTA but I also didn't want to let my memes be dreams. This run improves upon the currently published run by 1921 frames.
Game objectives
- Run to the right
- Jump when necessary
Stage by stage comments
Menus
The game actually checks the system time to do the age check, so the initial system time has been set to ~2033. This allows us to clear the age check using the first date that comes up in the menu. A significant improvement over the previous submission is the discovery of "Enter" key. Interleaving mouse inputs and Enter key allows us to clear the title menu and intro cutscenes slightly faster.
Level 1
In this game, Nate loses significant speed in air, so we keep jumping to a minimum. In the first level the player starts with no weapons and is expected to perform a sneak melee kill on the first enemy to pick up his weapon, which we won't. There are very few enemies in this level thus we choose to tank all the damage instead.
The first glitch is performed around 00:18. When entering the incredibly immersive quick time event of opening the door, we can click on one of the options at the bottom to bring up a confirmation prompt. In this case we use the Home option, but any one of them works. Selecting "No" unpauses the game and lets us move during the QTE segment. Since the door gets opened the moment I enter the QTE, unpausing the game lets me run through it and continue on with the level.
Perceptive viewers might notice that Nate is completing a jump at the end of this QTE sequence despite the absence of obstacles, wasting precious time. This is done in order to avoid a checkpoint trigger which would otherwise overwrite the currently stored respawn coordinates for the player. The reason for this seemingly unnecessary acrobatics will become clear in the following levels.
The remainder of this level is straight-forward, but we perform another sneaky checkpoint skip around 00:23. Also hitting the "Enter" key at the end of the level allows us to clear the score screen few frames faster than waiting for the UI button.
Level 2
This is the point where the current submission significantly diverges from the previous submission. We start with a carefully timed jump to avoid yet another checkpoint. We let go of the ledge as quickly as possible as sidling is much slower than running. Having avoided 3 checkpoints, we can finally achieve what we have set out to do: Toss Nate off a ledge.
It turns out that this game does not clear player's checkpoint information between the levels (discovered by a runner named MuffinsiEA98). Instead, the game relies on checkpoints placed at the start of each level just a little ahead of the player spawn point. These checkpoint triggers are fairly small and can easily be avoided via precise jumps. By avoiding the checkpoints in the latter half of Level 1 and first checkpoint of Level 2, we can hold on to a respawn coordinate that places us very close to the end of Levels 2 and 3. With that, we clear majority of the level by simply walking Nate off the ledge.
Only other optimization in this level is using a barrel to get a boosted jump, avoiding a ledge grab.
Level 3
Just like Level 2, we start off by skipping the checkpoint at the beginning of the level. As this level does not have any pits early on, we have to rely on the 3 NPCs to deplete our HP bar as fast as possible. Note that we are still using the same respawn coordinates from Level 1.
Level 4
The final platforming level and it features just that. The level has two routes one can take, the top route ending up just a slight bit faster due to skipping a ledge climb.
Final Boss
THE END?
Info Teddy: Claiming for judging.
Info Teddy: Replaced file with 31-frame improvement.
Info Teddy: Very nice optimization. Accepting as an improvement to [5245] Flash Uncharted 2: Among Thieves by rythin in 02:11.50.
fsvgm777: Processing.