(Link to video)
VVVVVV is a game where you flip gravity around so hard that you accidentally clip into the end area.

Game objectives

  • Aims for fastest time
  • Uses death to save time
  • Skips the Gravitron Skip from the previous movie

Comments

This run saves almost 3 minutes over the previous run by clipping into the end area. It also improves the previous movie by using libTAS instead of Hourglass.

Gravitron OOB trick

It was known that abusing the R key to trigger a death after completing the Gravitron (the 1 minute bullet hell section) will keep your hitbox in a smaller state while you're able to get to the upper section of the Intermission 2 area. It was also known that you could clip out of bounds into Outer Space by using this smaller hitbox.
But now a new trick was found where using a timed flip near out of bounds will make you flip between two screens, making it possible to move horizontally to a new area.
The top right room is the final room of the game. The room to the left of it is the upper section of Intermission 2, with the Gravitron under it.

Route

The route is very simple. You want to reach Intermission 2 as soon as possible.
Playing the game normally, you will end up with this order: Rescue Violet. Rescue a second crewmate. Rescue a third crewmate. Do Intermission 1. Rescue a fourth crewmate. Do Intermission 2. Rescue the fifth and final crewmate. Do The Final Level.
 V -> 2 -> 3 -> I1 -> 4 -> I2 -> 5 -> TFL
By abusing the R key to die at the start sequence, we can skip Violet and rescue two other crewmates. You can then rescue Violet which will run a different cutscene, skipping Intermission 1 (and this was previously used to skip Intermission 2 due to the long Gravitron sequence). After rescuing the fourth crewmate, Intermission 2 is started and we can end the game.
Just like in the previous run, a trick called telejumping (dying while teleporting) is used to clip into walls and get to crewmembers faster.
This run was routed by Masterjun, so you will have an easy time improving it. Here is everything you need to know.

Special Thanks to

  • tzann, Theepicosity, chubbystickfigure, and Azrez for finding this trick
  • Spikestuff for telling me this new trick was found
  • libTAS for being better than Hourglass

Suggested Screenshots


slamo: This is obviously an entertaining and well-optimized run, sorry it took a while to judge but there are some things that had to be addressed first.
There is another branch that uses a certain glitch to beat the game very quickly. This glitch requires dying, saving, and quitting with a text box present, and then altering the game state to trigger the ending. It was brought up in the thread that a Gravitron skip was possible that required a save + quit sequence. The author explained that they chose to disallow saving + quitting because it was the least complicated restriction that wouldn't allow a game end glitch, and after some thought, I will agree with this argument. If we allow saving + quitting but restrict people from triggering the ending this way, somebody can just manipulate the game state to trigger an event that's as close as possible to the ending, and this is not really what we want. If we allow saving + quitting but disallow any game state manipulation, this would open up the opportunity for other save + quit glitches that we don't even know about yet. Saving + quitting is a powerful mechanic that is clearly very glitchy and could potentially end the game in less efficient ways than the current "game end glitch" branch, and we want to future-proof against this. Basically, we don't want to create the situation where people are finding specific glitches and tricks purely to circumvent the restrictions we've put in place. For anyone that might argue that any other glitch also has the potential to cause a game ending glitch: there's some truth to this, but currently this is the least complicated restriction we can put in place, and if more game ending glitches are discovered, we will deal with them when the time comes.
There was also the question of a Linux run obsoleting a Windows run. I was unable to find any evidence that there is a difference between these versions. The same glitches and mechanics apply to both runs, so for all intents and purposes, they are the same games. The improvement is obviously due to new tricks that apply to both versions and is not due to platform differences. Also, this run is intended to obsolete the current branchless run; it has the same goal and restrictions as that run, so this run will remain branchless.
Feedback was very good, so I don't see any reason to change the tier. Accepting to Moons as an improvement to the previous run.
fsvgm777: Processing.

Site Admin, Skilled player (1237)
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feos wrote:
Finally, this is a case when a game has nearly identical versions across platforms, so Linux and Windows versions of VVVVVV can obsolete one another if needed, and if there's general consensus about actual cases. As usual, if some version is so different that it features obviously unique tricks and glitches, it can be published just because the run showcases them. Or some branch can use a specific version to increase the diversity. But similar branches of different PC versions of VVVVVV will not be accepted [separately].
Warning: When making decisions, I try to collect as much data as possible before actually deciding. I try to abstract away and see the principles behind real world events and people's opinions. I try to generalize them and turn into something clear and reusable. I hate depending on unpredictable and having to make lottery guesses. Any problem can be solved by systems thinking and acting.
QuizmasterBos
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Dangit, misclicked and voted meh on accident. Can't seem to change it either. Anyway, amazing run! Wasn't expecting it to go this route. This probably wins my TAS of the year (for now, at least)!
Reviewer, Expert player (2395)
Joined: 5/21/2013
Posts: 414
FYI, this synced fine for me on the Steam version, so I think you can use that if you don't have a DRM-free one.
Reviewer, Expert player (2395)
Joined: 5/21/2013
Posts: 414
Sorry this is taking a while to judge, I just have some concerns here. So as mohoc pointed out, there is a glitch that can be done to skip the Gravitron (saving and loading upon entering the Gravitron room) which is omitted from this run. While the speedrunners don't use save + quit in their any% branch, it seems kind of arbitrary to me to not use this in our branchless run. The Gravitron skip does not use the same glitch as the game end glitch branch. While the game end glitch requires you to save + quit, the actual glitch used to end the game involves text box storage and game state manipulation, while the Gravitron skip requires only a simple quicksave + load. I have personally tested it, and this Gravitron skip still gives you the smaller hitbox required to clip out of bounds and beat the game. Just so there is no confusion, this is not the same Gravitron skip that's mentioned in the submission text and done in Scepheo's run, that skips the entire Intermission 2 sequence. Was this skip omitted because it was not known, or was it intentionally left out? If it's the latter, why?
Masterjun
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For the goals to not overlap with the game end glitch, there needs to be some kind of restriction on this run. The game end glitch is made possible by opening a dialog you can advance, then dying by pressing R, then save+quit. By quitting, it switches to "load menu" mode which we then can advance to other modes. I thought the least arbitrary and most straightforward restriction for this run would be to simply not allow save+quit. Of course, choosing a restriction depends on what you think is the cause of the game end glitch in the first place. Is is because the save+quit menu allows advancing modes? Is it because triggering a dialog and dying allows you to save+quit in a text sequence? A less restricting restriction would be: don't allow save+quit while a sequence is playing that allows you to advance modes. This would allow the Gravitron skip in this run. It would also allow potential other save+quit glitches which might end the game sooner and maybe in a similar way as the game end glitch. In summary, it seemed to me that the save+quit feature is prone to introducing glitches that don't fit into this branch and instead are covered by game end glitch runs. That's why I chose to not allow it at all.
Warning: Might glitch to credits I will finish this ACE soon as possible (or will I?)
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Since it's a Moons only branch, making it more different from any% is better than making it more similar. And yes, simpler restrictions are also better than complicated ones, as they feel less arbitrary or hacky.
Warning: When making decisions, I try to collect as much data as possible before actually deciding. I try to abstract away and see the principles behind real world events and people's opinions. I try to generalize them and turn into something clear and reusable. I hate depending on unpredictable and having to make lottery guesses. Any problem can be solved by systems thinking and acting.
Post subject: Movie published
TASVideoAgent
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This movie has been published. The posts before this message apply to the submission, and posts after this message apply to the published movie. ---- [4009] Linux VVVVVV by Masterjun in 05:49.86