I started planning a TAS on this game. I choosed it from the
Wiki: SDATASes list I maintain. Here's the
SDA run and
some level screens and faqs for those who aren't familiar with this game.
List of tricks:
Input processing abuse - every button must held for 2 (non-lag) frames to be accepted. Example of combining different input sequences: I can start the game faster (1 frame) by pressing "Start, Start + Select, lag frame, Select" instead of "Start, Start, lag frame, Select, Select".
Weird items - pressing U+D+A or L+R+A changes items' behaviour but knife's
Weird whip - the simple whip acts like a teleporting boomerang
Weird bomb - throws the bomb downward far away
Weird gun - glitches Indiana's sprite... useful?
Weird whip swing - shooting a weird whip on a swing target changes Indiana's "on tile" position (which tile he stands on) while the sprites remain interactive. The new position depends on the distance between Indiana and the swing target in that very moment the whip hits it.
Bunnyhop - the fastest technique is jumping in successful rows. Best when jumping in solely left or right direction (Indiana jumps downward default, so you just press left or right and B).
Faster pause - you can pause the game with A on the 2nd controller and resume with B. I will use it if needed for extensive luck manipulation.
Luck manipulation - you can manipulate the lava path at W9, the hidden exit on W10 and enemies movement/spawn by waiting for a very short time or moving in to different positions.
I'm currently figuring out the most optimal route for this game. For now, here's the minimally detailed route I came up (will do a WIP as soon as I can):
W1 - Hidden door
S2 - W9 (possible weird whip swinging)
W9 - manipulate (possible weird whip swinging)
W10 - manipulate "exit
right in to your face"
W11 - weird whip swinging 2-3 times (depending if all of them saves time. have to optimize them cruelly)
W12 - bunnyhopping then simply climbing
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Here's a very short movie I made in real time to show it (I was blindly travelling up). Stop the movie @ 500 and hold down to suicide fast.
I can simply walk without taking aware of trap sprites (but I have to manipulate/avoid those interactive sprites (bat/guys)), but can't pick up the Sankara stones (which is needed to finish the wave).
All in all, weird whip swinging is faster than doing the "world greatest luck manipulation" since this way you don't need bombs or knifes or anything (which was required at least 4 bomb or 4 gun or 4 knife to manipulate lava monsters at both parts). So now my W9 route looks like getting as fast as possible to the swing target and performing a weird whip swing near to the sankara stones (picture below), commit suicide, collect sankara and rush to the exit.
[URL=http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/836/indianajonesandthetempl.png/]
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I will compare S2, W12 and W12B runtimes using weird whip swingings and not using them, but first I have to carefully plan the item management/collecting (if needed any now that W9 is disposed) and other minimal mysteries regarding weird whip swinging.
