Alright, considering my limited English proficiency hindered clear communication of the technical aspects in this RUN, which led to significant controversy surrounding my previous RUN(in 8:25) - and given that the game‘s core technical principles have already been thoroughly demonstrated in 1-player mode(NES Shadow of the Ninja "1 player" by TASeditor in 09:30.41
https://tasvideos.org/3153M) - I‘ll now focus specifically on mechanics unique to the 2-player experience.
The core challenge in two-player mode lies in lag management, rather than mechanically applying 1-player run rules. Following single-player movement routes in co-op mode would generate excessive lag. This forced me to make strategic trade-offs: while pausing after landing (by either not triggering boosting or failing to obtain the odd rule before boosting) causes temporary stalling, it effectively prevents lag accumulation.While there are moments when I deliberately refrain from accelerating at 25-speed thresholds or sustaining momentum post-landing – actions that might superficially appear unrefined – this strategic restraint stems from frame-perfect LAG mitigation calculations. Every movement in this run constitutes a continuous technical balancing act: optimizing velocity while preemptively neutralizing lag through frame-specific input optimization, requiring constant evaluation of whether momentary acceleration gains justify potential LAG-induced trajectory instability.
Someone said this:"Player 1 can double hit enemies in odd RAM addresses, while player 2 can double hit enemies in even RAM addresses, which is all bosses. And you can't hit an enemy with both players at the same time." It's wrong.This argument stems from a misunderstanding of the game's core mechanics. As I've visually demonstrated in my current run:Player 1 (1P) can trigger double damage against bosses through precise frame-perfect inputs;Both players can simultaneously execute double-damage attacks via coordinated hitbox manipulation.These mechanics allowed 100% double-damage consistency during the final boss fight. While language barriers limit my technical explanations, the FM2 documentation provides frame-by-frame verification of these interactions. The implementation logic (hitbox priority, damage multipliers, and player collision flags) is thoroughly annotated and surprisingly accessible
Third, in 2-player run, the Y-axis vertical scroll rate doubles compared to 1-player operations. This system-enforced acceleration mechanism becomes particularly evident during Stage 5-2's elevator sequence, where the ascension velocity increases exponentially.Strategic applications of this paradigm extend across multiple key stages:Stage 1-2;Stage 2-1;Stage 3-1;Stage 4-1;Stage 5-1.
Finally, I would like to clarify that the techniques demonstrated in 1-player run were actually publicly disclosed and mastered within the Chinese TASers community as early as 2008. However, not all of the showcased techniques are beneficial for speedrunning in the two-player mode. This is precisely why I refrained from employing these tricks in the 2-player run - they simply don't contribute to time efficiency improvements. It's rather ludicrous that some individuals have unilaterally assumed I lack mastery of these techniques.
