It's occured to me that this game is going to have some sequence breaking in it, particularly in the usage of enemies and spikes as platforms.
Some very brief notes on the game, I'll be editing as I get more:
1) Get the convenient life stocks, and to a lesser extent Ekeekes. Life stocks increase your attack power, and odds are quite a bit of damage is going to be taken in the run. Ekeekes are useful because you suffer no knockback if you run out of HP and are revived by an Ekeeke.
2) You can keep the key from the first dungeon, by jumping on a slime to bypass the statues (normally you'd use the key to get the button to get them to move).
3) Several gaps can be jumped even if the game gives you an "easier" alternative.
4) Jump/slash is effective, although the knockback isn't as fast as you jump, so you won't be able to just jump/slash through enemies. You can jump anytime and slash anytime, so you should be slashing as fast as possible. (TODO: Determine whether walking around enemies or jump/slashing through is more effective).
5) (red gem can't be put off: path to Ryuma opens after you get it)
6) (skipping straight to Greenmaze doesn't work: woodcutter won't talk to me)
7) After Greenmaze, the two pathroutes back to Ryuma are through Massan or backwards through Mercator. Tree warps cut time both ways, although it miiight not be enough to justify going through the big tree dungeon (it'd certainly be less boring)
8) In the Thieve's hideout, use the key from dungeon 1 immediately after moving the statue. Pick up the key at the bottom on the way out (Saves 1-2 minutes)
9) In Mercator for the first time, figure out if one can talk to the guards *before* going into Madame Yard's and still trigger the little girl (saves a few seconds).
The Japanese Version is much harder then the PAL Version. Don't know about the USA Version, but I played the PAL (German) Version and the Japanese Version. And I don't mean the language problem for me. The game is at some points a bit different.
The Stage where the witch change you into a dog is much harder with jumping and timing for example. Not sure about other Stages, but this I remember 100%.
And in the PAL Version some scenes are cutted out, because they are too sexy. You can see someone bathing in the Japanese Version. ;-)
So the PAL Version can finish a bit faster then the Japanese I think. I think the USA Version is maybe the same then the PAL, but not sure.
Last TAS finished: Final Fantasy Adventure (4.0 Warp Glitch Run)
WIP in the moment: Tail Gator (GB)
Matty
MaTO: Good lord, 45 minutes just to get to Mercator? I know it can be trimmed down by a few minutes, but good lord.
MattyXB: I got my hands on the J version and can't find any significant difference between it and the USA version. Might it be because the PAL version runs at 50fps and so everything moves a little slower?
MattyXB: I got my hands on the J version and can't find any significant difference between it and the USA version. Might it be because the PAL version runs at 50fps and so everything moves a little slower?
No, its not the speed. I am 99% sure some part changed, at last one part which I remember, in the witch house where you are a dog. But it was for many years, that I played the both games.
In the house where the witch change you into a dog. There is one room where you must fast jump from switch to switch without fall down, not sure if there are too some spikes in this room, or maybe a spikeball hits you when you fall down, but not sure about the spikes anymore. In the PAL Version are some stones missing, that this part is much easier and that you can easier jump from switch to switch.
And the bathroom scene is cutted out in the PAL Version. Never see the female Boss bathing in the PAL Version.
Maybe I only miss this bath scene somehow? But I try more times and this never happen. In the Japanese Version it happen the first time as I played it.
Last TAS finished: Final Fantasy Adventure (4.0 Warp Glitch Run)
WIP in the moment: Tail Gator (GB)
Matty
MattyXB: Where in the game is this 'Bathing Sequence'. Im playing through the Jap version now and I havnt found it yet
Not sure anymore where, played it for years. I think it was somewhere in the middle of the game.
Maybe it came automatical, because I have no problem to find it the first time in the game.
I remember that you where in a house where you must maybe sleep automatical. When you then wake up and walk through this house you maybe find it. But its all not 100% where and how.
I know only that it is somewhere in this game. Good luck.
Maybe I try it later on Emulator and make too screenshots from the different Stage.
Last TAS finished: Final Fantasy Adventure (4.0 Warp Glitch Run)
WIP in the moment: Tail Gator (GB)
Matty
I'm in on this if anyone decides to make it. I know nothing about any sequence breakers though, I didn't even know you could skip the key in the first dungeon.
It was very nice seeing exactly who you needed to talk to in Mercator, I always wandered aimlessly talking to everyone twice until the girl appeared.
I was thinking "culmination of minor optimizations" myself, although minutes might be overly optimistic (it's just so much sheer WALKING it's ridiculous).
The jumping can definately be improved, probably the enemy killing too. There are some small shortcuts that I though of (over the bushes outside the first temple for example), but nothing major.
I will love seeing Greenmaze getting run trough, I hate that place.
Greenmaze was easy, but without teleport tree I lost about 45 seconds while walking all the way to Ryuuma.
According to Gamefaqs' guide "Tibor" quest could be done before entering Mercator, but I couldn't. Does it require talking to someone before.
You can do it after doing the Thieve's hideout. Tibor's quest can be done in maybe thirty seconds or less if you use a spike as a platform, so it might be worthwhile.
Um, no, there are two trees at the Ryuma/Mercator fork, the big one on the right is Tibor.
Edit: I went to make a .gmv but it desynced on me. Study indicates it takes a minute and a half to go through, taking some damage and getting a life stock. It's not as fast as backtracking, but it'd be less boring.
I don't think so: After Greenmaze it's the Verla Mine, then the Lake Shrine, after which you get TP'ed back to Mir's tower, from which you head to the final dungeon.
This looks like it could be quite interesting. Dont forget that there are a few situations where you can jump over locked doors by using enemies/boxes as a platform.
After you complete the Verla mines, head back *into* the mines and head NW. The two statues that were blocking should have moved (and I'll have to check if you can skip over them). It leads to the Lake Shrine, which is going to be long and tedious.
Stone Smith? You mean the big grey guy with the hammer who makes the screen shake every time he swings his hammer or jumps?
You don't (near as I can tell). Just get a key and go through the back door.
I don't know how much it's gonna still take to finish this game, but I don't think sub 2 hours is possible. Not very far either.
Nifboy, do you try to do a serious TAS-attempt when I'm finished? If I have time, I can perhaps finish in two days.
