This is a 6732 frames improvement (~1:52) over the previous TAS, with 142 frames lost to more loading times from the Bizhawk version used (usually 2 frames per loading screen between levels).
Game objectives
- Emulator used: BizHawk-2.9.1
- BIOS : SCPH5501.BIN
- Heavy glitch abuse
List of improvements
| Vision | Improvement |
| 1-1 | 12 |
| 1-2 | 106 |
| 1-B | 158 |
| 2-1 | 785 |
| 2-2 | 207 |
| 2-B | 3 |
| 3-1 | 1393 |
| 3-2 | 656 |
| 3-B | 0 |
| 4-1 | 533 |
| 4-2 | 220 |
| 4-B | 22 |
| 5-1 | 1163 |
| 5-2 | 782 |
| 5-B | 205 |
| 6-1 | 207 |
| 6-2 | 3 |
| 6-B | 27 |
| Final | 392 |
| Loadings | -142 |
| Total | 6732 |
| Vision/Screen | Improvement | Comments |
| 1-1-1 | 4 | |
| 1-1-2 | 0 | |
| 1-1-3 | 8 | |
| 1-2-1 | -2 | Different wind current |
| 1-2-2 | 0 | |
| 1-2-3 | 8 | |
| 1-2-4 | 100 | Ultra jump |
| 1-Boss | 68 | End cutscene skip |
| 2-1-1 | 2 | |
| 2-1-2 | 1 | |
| 2-1-3 | 0 | |
| 2-1-4 | 774 | Right wall clip |
| 2-1-5 | 8 | |
| 2-2-1 | 108 | Right wall clip |
| 2-2-2 | 6 | |
| 2-2-3 | 14 | |
| 2-2-4 | 52 | Right wall clip |
| 2-2-5 | 27 | |
| 2-2-6 | 0 | |
| 2-Boss | 3 | |
| 3-1-1 | 23 | |
| 3-1-2 | 295 | Door clip |
| 3-1-3 | 1059 | Door clip |
| 3-1-4 | 0 | |
| 3-1-5 | 16 | |
| 3-2-1 | 7 | Lag management |
| 3-2-2 | 0 | |
| 3-2-3 | 0 | |
| 3-2-4 | 0 | |
| 3-2-5 | 0 | |
| 3-2-6 | 0 | |
| 3-2-7 | 3 | |
| 3-2-8 | 105 | Faster switch strategy |
| 3-2-9 | 0 | |
| 3-2-10 | 0 | |
| 3-2-11 | 0 | |
| 3-2-12 | 6 | |
| 3-2-13 | 0 | |
| 3-2-14 | 0 | |
| 3-2-15 | 0 | |
| 3-2-16 | -305 | Grabbing the Moo |
| 3-2-17 | 0 | |
| 3-2-18 | -1 | Carrying the Moo |
| 3-2-19 | -2 | Carrying the Moo |
| 3-2-20 | 0 | |
| 3-2-21 | 0 | |
| 3-2-22 | 832 | Using the Moo |
| 3-2-23 | 0 | |
| 3-2-24 | 7 | Alternative route |
| 3-2-25 | 4 | |
| 3-Boss | 0 | |
| 4-1-1 | 161 | Right wall clip |
| 4-1-2 | 372 | Alternative route |
| 4-2-1 | 23 | Alternative route |
| 4-2-2 | 39 | Left+Right |
| 4-2-3 | 116 | Left+Right |
| 4-2-4 | 30 | Right wall clip |
| 4-2-5 | 12 | |
| 4-2-6 | 0 | |
| 4-Boss | 22 | Lag management |
| 5-1-1 | 0 | |
| 5-1-2 | 1 | |
| 5-1-3 | 0 | |
| 5-1-4 | -206 | Alternative route |
| 5-1-5 | 694 | Alternative route |
| 5-1-6 | 3 | |
| 5-1-7 | 0 | |
| 5-1-8 | 54 | Right wall clip |
| 5-1-9 | 0 | |
| 5-1-10 | 3 | |
| 5-1-11 | 291 | Death abuse |
| 5-1-12 | 0 | |
| 5-1-13 | 321 | Right wall clip |
| 5-1-14 | 1 | |
| 5-1-15 | 0 | |
| 5-1-16 | 1 | |
| 5-2-1 | 0 | |
| 5-2-2 | 45 | Right wall clip |
| 5-2-3 | 0 | |
| 5-2-4 | 203 | No day/night manip |
| 5-2-5 | 0 | |
| 5-2-6 | 493 | Displacement |
| 5-2-7 | 5 | |
| 5-2-8 | 36 | |
| 5-2-9 | 0 | |
| 5-2-10 | -1 | Lag |
| 5-2-11 | 1 | |
| 5-Boss | 205 | Better RNG |
| 6-1-1 | 0 | |
| 6-1-2 | 0 | |
| 6-1-3 | 0 | |
| 6-1-4 | 0 | |
| 6-1-5 | -131 | Alternative route |
| 6-1-6 | 337 | Alternative route |
| 6-1-7 | 1 | |
| 6-2-1 | 0 | |
| 6-2-2 | 0 | |
| 6-2-3 | 0 | |
| 6-2-4 | 0 | |
| 6-2-5 | 0 | |
| 6-2-6 | 3 | |
| 6-Boss | 27 | Better RNG/lag |
| Final-1 | 260 | Alternative route |
| Final-2 | 1 | Extra lag |
| Final-3 | 131 | Better RNG |
| Loadings | -142 | |
| Total | 6732 |
Comments
General
Klonoa can only move, jump, flutter (for ~1s) and throw his ring to try to catch an enemy (AKA Moo). If he is holding an enemy, he can throw him or use him to do a double-jump in the air. Unlike most PSX games, this game runs at 60 FPS.
Some game elements use frames rules based on a global timer, most notably air currents and Moo spawners (~4 frames rule for this one). It usually leads to needing different input for screens with air currents, as well as the ones where we must wait for a newly spawned Moo to be reachable.
Speed and movement (typical cases)
On standard ground, Klonoa's speed goes instantly to 41369 in 1 frame (as long as his previous speed was lower than that), and in other cases increases by 409 each frame until it reaches ~53250. If his speed is higher than that, then it will decrease by 512 every frame until it reaches ~53250.
In the air, Klonoa's speed goes instantly to 18432 in 1 frame (as long as his previous speed was lower than that), and in other cases increases by 2048 each frame. If his speed is higher than 53248 (0xD000), then it will decrease by 2048 instead. It means that once Klonoa reaches his aerial top speed, his speed will go up and down by 2048 until he is back on the ground.
While randomly jumping would usually result in a slower speed than just walking, jumping at specific speeds in order to get a high "aerial speed pairing" is actually faster than walking. The highest pairing you can get is 53248-55296 (so a speed of 54272 on average), which is ~1,6% faster than walking, saving on average 2 frames every 3 jumps. The best and fastest way to get a high pairing when Klonoa is already at max walking speed (and that this speed would not give a high pairing) is often to stop moving for one frame (which sligthly decreases Klonoa's speed) and then start moving again until a high pairing is available (after 4 or 5 frames usually).
When at zero speed, the best way to start to move is to walk for 1 frame (to go instantly to 41369), and then either jump as soon as possible (if there is a low ceiling, you get the high pairing in the second jump) or jump as soon as a high pairing is available (so you spent 3~5 more frames on the ground, but the extra speed you would get on these frame isn't worth the time lost due to the low pairing if you jump as soon as possible).
Gliding is very slow and double-jumping puts Klonoa's speed to 0, so both of these moves should be avoided as much as possible. Taking damage may be necessary sometimes, and the speed in damaged state is of ~52000.
Speed and movement (specific situations)
Slopes : It's similar the standard ground, except that the speed increases faster (depending on the tilt angle) and caps at 81920. What is considered as a slope isn't always intuitive.
Rivers (visions 2-2 and 4-2) : They give a boost of speed of 45056 (0xB000), and most of them are slopes, so you can reach a speed cap of either ~98300 or 126976. In both cases, stopping to move gives an instant extra boost of speed of 45056 but then the speed decreases by 2048 each frame. Starting to move again gives an instant penalty of speed of 45056 and then the speed increases like normal (depending if it's a slope or not). From my calculations, the optimal way to move under these conditions is to reach the cap, then stop moving for 1 frame, then move again until the cap and repeat the process. If a screen ends with a river, it may be better to totally stop moving at the end.
Glitches and tricks
- Wall clip: When trying to get close to a wall while holding an enemy and in the air, the game will reposition Klonoa, however it will not do this if Klonoa isnt looking left or right. In addition, if Klonoa wasn't repositioned and try to move through the wall for 1 frame (and then looking up or down for at least 1 frame), the game will shift him a little bit on the left. After doing this enough time, Klonoa will be so far to the left that the game will not try to reposition him anymore. As an extension of this glitch, you can carry enemies through passages with low ceilings, which in some cases can break the level design (like vision 6-1).
- Right wall clip: Same than the previous one, except that you press Left instead of Up or Down.
- Storing a double-jump: When Klonoa try to jump while in the air and while his ring catched an enemy, the game will automatically do a double-jump once the ring is back to him. However if in the meantime Klonoa is on the ground, the double-jump will be stored and will be done as soon as Klonoa leaves the ground. It's usually a bad glitch since we want to avoid double-jumps, but in the case of opening a door with a key it will save some time since we can regain control of Klonoa almost instantly instead of waiting for the cutscene to end.
- Damaged state cancel : Some frames after taking damage, you can throw your ring to gain control of Klonoa sooner than intended. It's only faster if Klonoa is thrown on the wrong direction.
- Rivers Left+Right: While in a river, if you are moving to the right, holding Left+Right at the same time applies the 45056 boost twice, significantly increasing the total speed.
- Ultra jump: While in an air current sending you up, you can cancel a double jump by throwing your ring (Square or Circle), leaving Klonoa and the Moo in a weird spot where the game will proceed with the double jump as soon as possible. However, this "as soon as possible" is only when Klonoa is in the air not throwing his ring, except in air currents where it will be as soon as Klonoa isn't pressing a new throw button (e.g. you must alternate between Square and Circle every single frame). Once the double jump is resumed, it will be performed at the expected vertical position but at Klonoa's current horizontal position, which under the right circunstances allow Klonoa to perform a double jump at a higher than intended position.
- Displacement: Klonoa's horizontal coordinate is relative to the current "plane", said plane is only updated when Klonoa is on the ground. When landing in a new plane, Klonoa's horizontal coordinate is updated according to this plane, but is slightly displaced if Klonoa was moving left and pressed Up or Down at the frame he touched the ground. The displacement can send Klonoa slightly to the left or to the right depending only on the landing position. It is used frequently in the TAS to save few frames every time, as well as once to clip into an otherwize unclipable wall in 5-2.
Stage by stage comments
Vision 1-1
One displacement on first screen, a different ending approch on the third one.
Vision 1-2
Different wind currents timing for screens 1 and 3, ultra jump to skip a cutscene on last screen.
Vision 1-B
During one of his attack, if you finish the boss at a specific one frame window, it will skip the ending cutscene, saving a little bit of time despite having to wait for said attack.
Vision 2-1
Right wall clip saves a lot of time on second screen as it is used twice.
Vision 2-2
Two right wall clips as well as minor improvements.
Vision 2-B
3 frames faster for unknown reasons.
Vision 3-1
The third screen is the single biggest improvement over the previous TAS, as we started it with a Moo and clipped throught the ending door instead of having to get the key.
Vision 3-2
Despite right wall clips being a thing, it wasn't helpful in completely breaking the level as one of the room has an elevator which isn't working if the mechanism isn't reactivated, and there is no fast workaround to this issue.
Vision 3-B
Same input.
Vision 4-1
One right wall clip and a faster ending skip.
Vision 4-2
Left+Right saved a good amount of time on river screens.
Vision 4-B
Some attacks are laggier than other, and the lag was minimized when needed by staying at the edge of the platform.
Vision 5-1
Green orb: Right wall clips allowed for a new route which didn't require death abuse.
Yellow orb: Small time save with a right wall clip.
Red orb: A well timed double jump allows Klonoa to hit a checkpoint not visible yet, followed by a death abuse.
Blue orb: Right wall clip to get to the orb faster than the previous method.
Vision 5-2
With a displacement, the 6th screen can be done much quicker as there is no need to first be in day time then in night time. As a bonus, there was no more need to wait on 4th screen to manipulate this day/night cycle.
Vision 5-B
Cleaner night phase and finish.
Vision 6-1
Different route while carrying the Moo.
Vision 6-2
Displacement on last screen to make the platform start to move quicker.
Vision 6-B
Didn't have to wait before dealing the last hit, unlike the previous TAS.
Final vision
Different route for phase 1 to dodge a time wasting attack from the boss. Better RNG manipulation for phase 3.
Possible improvements
Lag, RNG.
Special Thanks
The Klonoa speedruns discord for their advice and suggestions, especially Balneor.
Suggest screenshot :
frame 11933
nymx: Claiming for judging.
nymx: Everything looks good here. Nice improvements over the previous submission.
Accepting over [3720] PSX Klonoa: Door to Phantomile by lapogne36 in 34:46.37!
Spikestuff: Wahoo~!
nymx: reuploading BK2 file to correct the cycle count.