Update time!
WIP
Save states
The run's now just over an hour long. (1:10:43, I think.) We're just about 1/3 of the way through the game, so the completion time is looking to be ~3:30:**. Of course, I plan on spending some time in the Ancient Cave, and I don't know what that's actually going to do to the time. I'm also going to collect all five sets of Dragon Eggs, and it remains to be seen exactly how much time that'll take when optimized. ('Cause the random placement of the eggs is going to have to be pretty heavily manipulated.) Anyway, just letting you know that the finished run will be quite long.
I've finished the Treasure Shrine. I don't
need the Mind Ring, I've discovered, but it helps manipulate behaviors and it's going to be really important in Bound Kingdom's dungeon. Anyway, I'm fairly confident that all four fights in the Shrine are optimized. The last two definitely are, it's just a little up in the air as to whether I could've used IPs in the first two without costing time in the last two. The final battle (against Danielle) can actually be done in two rounds, but doing so involves letting Selan die. This would probably actually cost more time later than it saves now, because I'd have to revive her at some point, which means going to a church, which would be kinda out of the way. In any case, it's highly beneficial to keep her alive for this fight because the level she gains is godly.
Speaking of level gains, I tested some of the ones for the Spider fight and I couldn't get any sets that really struck me as better than the one I have now, so I just stuck with it. Guy gets two really good levels, Maxim gets a good balance between the two levels and I think Tia's levels are pretty insignificant, since Selan is the better magic-user and Tia leaves the party eventually, anyway.
I don't bother getting the Holy Wings because by the time I'd actually need them I could also have the Magic Bikini, which is preferred over the Holy Wings simply because it has a better Defense value.
The Hookshot is
exactly 3 frames slower than walking the exact same steps the Hook carries you over. For this reason, it's faster to use the Hookshot if it follows a straighter path which you can't take on foot. You see me do this once in Gordovan Tower, and I'll be looking for other opportunities.
For whoever it was who wanted me to beat Gades and earn the Gades Blade: I admit, it would be damn impressive if I got the Gades Blade right now, and it
is possible to beat Gades at my current level. (Guy can survive a standard attack from Gades if he's at full health, and I can manipulate Gades into hitting Guy every round.)
However..... Gades has 7500 HP, and I can't deal more than 350 damage in a given round, and I
can't deal that much every round. (Two out of every three rounds at best, but it's usually every other round.) So the fight itself would take a
long ass time, and it's
far more work than I'm willing to do right now. I might consider having the next run grab the Gades Blade, but not this one.
You'll notice that I walk into Gades' room and then back out and then back in. That's to manipulate him into using Destructo Wave the first round, and it's the fastest way I found of doing so. (And it
is faster than just waiting until round 2 to lose.)
I don't grab the Scimitar or Block Shield (the items in the room behind Gades) because they don't do a single thing for me. The Fire Dagger is going to be Maxim's weapon of choice for the next two dungeons, and the Cold Rapier is just as good as the Scimitar for Selan. The Block Shield just doesn't have as useful an IP as what Tia and Selan are currently wearing.
In retrospect, I should've visited Gordovan itself before I get to the tower so that I can warp back to it on my way to Merix village. I didn't, however, and it's not hexable. So that's going in my notes for the next run.
The WIP doesn't contain this because I didn't think of it when I was recording, but I'm going to warp back to Elcid (or Sudeltan, depending on which is faster) to go back and grab the Dragon Egg in the Cave to Sudeltan before going back to Parcelyte. I think this is the only Egg I have to backtrack to get, so I might as well do so now. (And I have to get it, because I plan on getting the Egg Ring to make the last six dungeons or so ridiculously easy.)
Ummmmm.... that's all the questions I can anticipate. If you've got any more, don't hesitate to ask. I know it's not perfect, but it's better than nothing.
Oh, and after I go and fetch that Dragon Egg I'm going to take a break from Lufia for a while and toy around with Claymates for a bit, and possibly see if I can help halamantriel with manipulating the Sandworm for his Illusion of Gaia run. Expect the next update on the first weekend of June, or so.
