An Untitled Story [any%, Insanity difficulty]

Arcanod

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2011-05-22 09:18:42 am

05/25//2011 : segments 4 (v2), 5, 6 & 7 added.
05/26//2011 : segments 7 (v2), 8, 9 (v1/v2) added.
05/28//2011 : segments 10 (v1/v2) added.
05/29//2011 : segments 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15 added.
05/31//2011 : segments 12 (new), 13 (new), 14 (new) & 15 (new) added.
06/02//2011 : segments 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 (v1/v2) added.
06/03//2011 : segments 21 (v1/v2) added.
06/04//2011 : segments 22 (v1/v2/v3), 23, 24 added.
06/05//2011 : segments 25, 26 & 27 added.
06/06//2011 : segments 24 (new) & 25 (new), 26 (new) & 27 (new) added.
06/05//2011 : segments 28, 29 & 30 added.

Greetings everybody! I have begun a speedrun of An Untitled Story; an any% segmented speedrun on the highest difficulty (called "Insanity").
If you like "metroidvanias", I strongly suggest you to give this very good game a try, you won't be disappointed: http://mattmakesgames.com/games.php.

I copy below the first and most important part of my planning notes. I think it's optimal, but an error is always possible and could turn out to be quite dramatic. So, if you find out such a mistake, please tell me before it is too late... I would be forever grateful!
I will update this post as soon as a new segment is done. Some of them will be quite long, as I'll try to skip save points if they're not in the middle of my way. Of course, all comments are welcome.

[DONE] Segment 1 - NightWalk to ColdKeep

Abilities: Jump upgrade 1, Double jump, Shoot fire, Jump upgrade 2, Sticking
Boss encountered: GrottoRed, DeepCanon, ColdBlob
Final save point: NightClimb (bottom)

The NightWalk part (start to 1m10s) is nearly flawless. At 26s, it is possible to reach the platform directly from the bouncing, but it's MUCH more safer to take out the ennemy first, and jump in a second time; a very decent concession in my opinion.
The DeepTower part (1m10 to 2m30) is pretty good. At 1m13, the root ascension is fine, but could have been a little better. At 1m18, the slowdown is too important (but it's still better than touching the ceiling and be forced to jump again!). The boss went fine and the rock ennemy has been pretty well avoided. Leaving the tree was perfectly executed.
Finally, theColdKeep part (2m30 to the end) was very good. I loosed perhaps 1s at 2m38s, and the death was not far way! The third boss (ColdBlob) went fine. My first attack was a bit late (though the jump timing was excellent). I loosed some time when re-entering the builing (sometimes, green or blue cristals are thrown again the right wall).

[DONE] Segment 2 – Arrival in Sky Town

Abilities: Double jump upgrade 1, Teleport
Boss encountered: /
Final save point: Sky Town

[DONE] Segment 3 - Towards StoneCastle

Abilities: Energy jump 1
Boss encountered: /
Final save point: StoneCastle

[DONE] Segment 4 - StoneCastle

Abilities: Dive bomb, Jump upgrade 3
Boss encountered: StoneHead
Final save point: NightClimb

This boss is quite annoying for a speedrun. The 3 first hits are easy, but the final one is hardly predictable; the battle theme is monotonous and doesn't help to know when to jump.

EDIT: the v2 corrects a terrible mistake I had made towards the end (i.e. waiting for the bots to move instead of reinitializing their position by going to the adjacent screen).
By the way, it's really funny to watch the two videos side by side with a software like StereoMovie Maker. Grin

[DONE] Segment 5 - NightClimb

Abilities: Ducking
Boss encountered: NightSpirit (skipped)
Final save point: NightWalk

[DONE] Segment 6 - Hatching

Abilities: /
Boss encountered: /
Final save point: Grotto

[DONE] Segment 7 - DeepDive

Abilities: Shoot ice, Air upgrade 1
Boss encountered: GrottoEye, DeepDragon
Final save point: NightClimb (sommet)

During my many attempts to make this segment successful, there have been great and poor fights against GrottoEye. I fear this one is slightly below average; the final hit comes a bit late, the boss dies in the right side of the room and I almost died on several occasions…

The first part in DeepDive was nearly flawless.
The wreckage part, on the other hand, was quite slow. It is possible to completely skip the air bubbles, and there I took an unnecessary amount. Finally I forgot to dive-bomb.

DeepDragon went fine. I decided to lose 1-2 seconds to get to yellow cristal (+100), which could have been dispatched to a worst place than the middle of the room...

EDIT: I wasn’t really satisfied with the first submission. Now we can talk! This 2nd version is faster by 6 seconds and provides a significantly improved GrottoEye fight, and a better wreckage part.

[DONE] Segment 8 - SkySands entrance

Abilities: /
Boss encountered: /
Final save point: SkySands (entrance)

[DONE] Segment 9 - SkySands

Abilities: Stick slide
Boss encountered: SkyMummy
Final save point: Grotto

Not bad, but there is a jump failure (2s loss and looks quite ugly), so perhaps I’ll redo this segment.

EDIT: here we go! This v2 is still far from being perfect (and that’s bothers me, because a lot of attempts were really well done, but didn’t pass the boss…), but it is nearly 2 seconds faster (not a big deal, indeed) and ends with 25 more crystals! thumbsup

(Well, not a big deal either, that’s right…)

[DONE] Segment 10 - FireCage

Abilities: Double jump upgrade 2, Energy jump 2
Boss encountered: FireMachine
Final save point: Grotto

I will probably record a « v2 », as I’m not convinced by this one. There are several imperfections, including a futile jump at the end of the boss fight. Moreover I feel like improving the boss fight by taking the risk to jump before the red energy thing appears, so I would have a one in two chance (x4) to be on the right side...

EDIT: 3,5 seconds faster than the first submission. Smiley

Statistically, I really got lucky with the boss: I had bet on right-right-left-left, and he has met these requirements only on the fifth attempt! Otherwise, there are still imperfections here and there (pretty much the same, but believe me or not, it’s a coincidence); perhaps even a bit more, as I arrive in the boss room 6 frames later. Grin

The next step will be the Curtain, for the enjoyment of Patashu!

All the essential abilities have now been acquired, so the order of the next areas is less important.

[DONE] Segment 11 - HighLands

Boss encountered: /
Final save point: The Curtain (bottom)

Heavily luck-based segment. I tried multiple times to improve it, but there was always a boulder to crush me; the time gained would not have been really significant, though, so let’s say it is good as it is.

[DONE] Segment 12 - The Curtain

Boss encountered: TheNinja
Final save point: The Curtain (top)

Very easy “dungeon”, but pretty hard boss – at least if you don’t find how to maximize your chances to dodge the horizontal shurikens (i.e. take the time to double-jump and see where it is safe to land).

EDIT: after several recordings, I have finally got a better Curtain ascension and a better boss fight. The boss fight is faster by nearly 0,5s and the ascension (up to the screen where the big mistake was made) is faster by 1,5s! As for the total time, from the starting point to the final hit delivered on the boss, the segment is faster by 9,367s!
Thanks to Zoonel for pointing out the big mistake.

[DONE] Segment 13 - IceCastle entrance

Boss encountered: /
Final save point: IceCastle (entrance)

EDIT: faster by 0,166s!

[DONE] Segment 14 - IceCastle

Boss encountered: /
Final save point: IceCastle

Actually easier than one may think, with the exception of the last room full of enemies (at 1m 15s). But I hate ghosts, and even more if they ambush me in the last room before the save point when my attempt so far was pretty perfect. Still, this segment is very good (yes, I mess up my double jump at 44s and almost died at 1m 32s).

EDIT: I didn’t think I could improve this segment that much, considering it is now faster by 3,133s. I gained some time in the 2nd room where I jump on the first cannonball, and in the few last rooms (although the two first jumps at 1m45 could still be better).

[DONE] Segment 15 - IceCastle boss

Boss encountered: IceBall
Final save point: StoneCastle

Pretty good fight, but I'm tardy to place the 2nd hit, and it's possible to take greater risks (i.e. move before the last attack, but the fight becomes highly luck-based).
I really don't know if I should redo it or not. Hmmm.

EDIT: 1,9 seconds faster than before. A great fight!

[DONE] Segment 16 - StoneCastle boss

Boss encountered: StoneEye
Final save point: SkyTown

[DONE] Segment 17 - Sky Town treasure

Abilities: Long Shots
Boss encountered: /
Final save point: StoneCastle

[DONE] Segment 18 - FarFall and CloudRun (part 1)

Boss encountered: /
Final save point: CloudRun

[DONE] Segment 19 - CloudRun (part 2)

Boss encountered: /
Final save point: CloudRun

[DONE] Segment 20 - CloudRun boss

Boss encountered: Fluffy (skipped)
Final save point: FarFall

[DONE] Segment 21 - FarFall boss

Boss encountered: FarBall
Final save point: Grotto

At first glance, FarBall is the only boss in the game who leads to really significant time differences between two different executions. After many attempts and silent observations, I eventually came up with a diabolic action plan! I’m really proud of it, I must admit. Please don’t hesitate to give me your impressions on this one; I think you may be surprised! Smiley

EDIT: the first part is now 0,067 seconds slower (...), but the boss dies 2,8 seconds faster! Special thanks to ExplodingCabbage.

[DONE] Segment 22 - Towards BlancLand

Boss encountered: /
Final save point: BlancLand

Nothing special here. After several tests, it appears that it is not possible to freeze the fish at 24s and disintegrate it at the same time, although it happened sometimes on the second fish at 31s. I still have doubts, though. More generally, I don’t understand well why enemies are sometimes disintegrated when freezed, and sometimes don’t. It seems it is based on space and/or time criteria (in other words, when and/or from where you shoot) and may be quite random too, but I’m really not sure about it.

EDIT: 0,067 seconds faster + ghosts ambush. Wink

EDIT 2: 0,234 seconds faster than the v1, but no ambush anymore. Sad

[DONE] Segment 23 - BlancLand (part 1)

Boss encountered: /
Final save point: BlancLand

[DONE] Segment 24 - BlancLand (part 2)

Boss encountered: /
Final save point: The Curtain (bottom)

EDIT: 8,367 seconds faster in total! (And 0,233 seconds faster without the route change.) Thanks to ExplodingCabbage.

[DONE] Segment 25 - DarkGrotto

Boss encountered: DarkRed
Final save point: The Curtain (top)

Concerning the boss fight, you normally have to throw back the big fireball twice in order to deliver the first hit (this number is then incremented by 1 for each subsequent hit), but, if you throw it back just after it has been released, you will hit him right away.

EDIT: 0,7 seconds faster in total. The activation of the torches is faster by 0,233 seconds, and the boss fight by 0,667 seconds.

[DONE] Segment 26 - LongBeach

Boss encountered: /
Final save point: BlackCastle

EDIT: 7,8 seconds faster than the ancient segment! Thanks to ExplodingCabbage!

[DONE] Segment 27 - BlackCastle (part 1)

Boss encountered: /
Final save point: BlackCastle

EDIT: ~0,35 seconds faster than the ancient segment.

[DONE] Segment 28 - BlackCastle (part 2)

Boss encountered: /
Final save point: BlackCastle

Sorry. I keep the "open beta" for this segment, or I'll become crazy.
Actually, the BlackCastle would be a piece of cake without the "bubbles room" (a nightmare, so much time consuming!). This specific room would have been really great to speedrun with a save point just after it; but there's no such a thing, oh no! All in all, this segment is improvable by 10-12 seconds in the best case.
So if you project to verify this run (assuming that I manage to beat the final boss, of course...), don't hesitate to unleash your wrath and blame me to death!

[DONE] Segment 29 - BlackNinja

Boss encountered: BlackNinja
Final save point: Final Climb

[DONE] Segment 30 - Ghosts everywhere!

Boss encountered: /
Final save point: Final Climb

Very easy segment, but nice to watch. Smiley

Segment 31 - Final boss

Thread title:

[color="rgb(0,200,187)"][u]05/25//2011[/u] : segments 4 (v2), 5, 6 & 7 added.[/color]
[color="rgb(0,200,187)"][u]05/26//2011[/u] : segments 7 (v2), 8, 9 (v1/v2) added.[/color]
[color="rgb(0,200,187)"][u]05/28//2011[/u] : segments 10 (v1/v2) added.[/color]
[color="rgb(0,200,187)"][u]05/29//2011[/u] : segments 11, 12, 13, 14 & 15 added.[/color]
[color="rgb(0,200,187)"][u]05/31//2011[/u] : segments 12 (new), 13 (new), 14 (new) & 15 (new) added.[/color]
[color="rgb(0,200,187)"][u]06/02//2011[/u] : segments 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 (v1/v2) added.[/color]
[color="rgb(0,200,187)"][u]06/03//2011[/u] : segments 21 (v1/v2) added.[/color]
[color="rgb(0,200,187)"][u]06/04//2011[/u] : segments 22 (v1/v2/v3), 23, 24 added.[/color]
[color="rgb(0,200,187)"][u]06/05//2011[/u] : segments 25, 26 & 27 added.[/color]
[color="rgb(0,200,187)"][u]06/06//2011[/u] : segments 24 (new) & 25 (new), 26 (new) & 27 (new) added.[/color]
[color="rgb(0,200,187)"][u]06/05//2011[/u] : segments 28, 29 & 30 added.[/color]

Greetings everybody! I have begun a speedrun of [i]An Untitled Story[/i]; an any% segmented speedrun on the highest difficulty (called "Insanity").
If you like "metroidvanias", I strongly suggest you to give this very good game a try, you won't be disappointed: http://mattmakesgames.com/games.php.

I copy below the first and most important part of my planning notes. I think it's optimal, but an error is always possible and could turn out to be quite dramatic. So, if you find out such a mistake, please tell me before it is too late... I would be forever grateful!
I will update this post as soon as a new segment is done. Some of them will be quite long, as I'll try to skip save points if they're not in the middle of my way. Of course, all comments are welcome.

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 1 - NightWalk to ColdKeep[/u][/size]

[u]Abilities:[/u] Jump upgrade 1, Double jump, Shoot fire, Jump upgrade 2, Sticking
[u]Boss encountered:[/u] GrottoRed, DeepCanon, ColdBlob
[u]Final save point:[/u] NightClimb (bottom)

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcW7Pum4n-Y[/hidden]

The NightWalk part (start to 1m10s) is nearly flawless. At 26s, it is possible to reach the platform directly from the bouncing, but it's MUCH more safer to take out the ennemy first, and jump in a second time; a very decent concession in my opinion.
The DeepTower part (1m10 to 2m30) is pretty good. At 1m13, the root ascension is fine, but could have been a little better. At 1m18, the slowdown is too important (but it's still better than touching the ceiling and be forced to jump again!). The boss went fine and the rock ennemy has been pretty well avoided. Leaving the tree was perfectly executed.
Finally, theColdKeep part (2m30 to the end) was very good. I loosed perhaps 1s at 2m38s, and the death was not far way! The third boss (ColdBlob) went fine. My first attack was a bit late (though the jump timing was excellent). I loosed some time when re-entering the builing (sometimes, green or blue cristals are thrown again the right wall).

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 2 – Arrival in Sky Town[/u][/size]

[u]Abilities:[/u] Double jump upgrade 1, Teleport
[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] Sky Town

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1LnL28SIfI[/hidden]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 3 - Towards StoneCastle[/u][/size]

[u]Abilities:[/u] Energy jump 1
[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] StoneCastle

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQMkQ_iSi_A[/hidden]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 4 - StoneCastle[/u][/size]

[u]Abilities:[/u] Dive bomb, Jump upgrade 3
[u]Boss encountered:[/u] StoneHead
[u]Final save point:[/u] NightClimb

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bM2wwwq18l0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn8kFvCdDTM[/hidden]

This boss is quite annoying for a speedrun. The 3 first hits are easy, but the final one is hardly predictable; the battle theme is monotonous and doesn't help to know when to jump.

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: the v2 corrects a terrible mistake I had made towards the end (i.e. waiting for the bots to move instead of reinitializing their position by going to the adjacent screen).
By the way, it's really funny to watch the two videos side by side with a software like StereoMovie Maker.[/color] ;D

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 5 - NightClimb[/u][/size]

[u]Abilities:[/u] Ducking
[u]Boss encountered:[/u] NightSpirit (skipped)
[u]Final save point:[/u] NightWalk

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGlwkq9tpRM[/hidden]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 6 - Hatching[/u][/size]

[u]Abilities:[/u] /
[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] Grotto

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4S7Q6_isEuI[/hidden]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 7 - DeepDive[/u][/size]

[u]Abilities:[/u] Shoot ice, Air upgrade 1
[u]Boss encountered:[/u] GrottoEye, DeepDragon
[u]Final save point:[/u] NightClimb (sommet)

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtS18ONKNws http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCH6jNXHzJw[/hidden]

During my many attempts to make this segment successful, there have been great and poor fights against GrottoEye. I fear this one is slightly below average; the final hit comes a bit late, the boss dies in the right side of the room and I almost died on several occasions…

The first part in DeepDive was nearly flawless.
The wreckage part, on the other hand, was quite slow. It is possible to completely skip the air bubbles, and there I took an unnecessary amount. Finally I forgot to dive-bomb.

DeepDragon went fine. I decided to lose 1-2 seconds to get to yellow cristal (+100), which could have been dispatched to a worst place than the middle of the room...

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: I wasn’t really satisfied with the first submission. Now we can talk! This 2nd version is faster by 6 seconds and provides a significantly improved GrottoEye fight, and a  better wreckage part.[/color]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 8 - SkySands entrance[/u][/size]

[u]Abilities:[/u] /
[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] SkySands (entrance)

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6aPBhZyAB7I[/hidden]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 9 - SkySands[/u][/size]

[u]Abilities:[/u] Stick slide
[u]Boss encountered:[/u] SkyMummy
[u]Final save point:[/u] Grotto

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG82gOHIlbQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGP6kUue_EQ[/hidden]

Not bad, but there is a jump failure (2s loss and looks quite ugly), so perhaps I’ll redo this segment.

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: here we go! This v2 is still far from being perfect (and that’s bothers me, because a lot of attempts were really well done, but didn’t pass the boss…), but it is nearly 2 seconds faster (not a big deal, indeed) and ends with 25 more crystals! :thumbsup: (Well, not a big deal either, that’s right…)[/color]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 10 - FireCage[/u][/size]

[u]Abilities:[/u] Double jump upgrade 2, Energy jump 2
[u]Boss encountered:[/u] FireMachine
[u]Final save point:[/u] Grotto

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KNAUDcR948 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3OpDQombcw[/hidden]

I will probably record a « v2 », as I’m not convinced by this one. There are several imperfections, including a futile jump at the end of the boss fight. Moreover I feel like improving the boss fight by taking the risk to jump before the red energy thing appears, so I would have a one in two chance (x4) to be on the right side...

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: 3,5 seconds faster than the first submission. :) Statistically, I really got lucky with the boss: I had bet on right-right-left-left, and he has met these requirements only on the fifth attempt! Otherwise, there are still imperfections here and there (pretty much the same, but believe me or not, it’s a coincidence); perhaps even a bit more, as I arrive in the boss room 6 frames later. ;D
The next step will be the Curtain, for the enjoyment of Patashu! [/color]

All the essential abilities have now been acquired, so the order of the next areas is less important.

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 11 - HighLands[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] The Curtain (bottom)

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDHsCdOlM7A[/hidden]

Heavily luck-based segment. I tried multiple times to improve it, but there was always a boulder to crush me; the time gained would not have been really significant, though, so let’s say it is good as it is.

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 12 - The Curtain[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] TheNinja
[u]Final save point:[/u] The Curtain (top)

[hidden="Obsoleted"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvTgZNQMGMM[/hidden]
[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnQybp6hHjc[/hidden]

Very easy “dungeon”, but pretty hard boss – at least if you don’t find how to maximize your chances to dodge the horizontal shurikens (i.e. take the time to double-jump and see where it is safe to land).

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: after several recordings, I have finally got a better Curtain ascension [u]and[/u] a better boss fight. The boss fight is faster by nearly 0,5s and the ascension (up to the screen where the big mistake was made) is faster by 1,5s! As for the total time, from the starting point to the final hit delivered on the boss, the segment is faster by 9,367s!
Thanks to Zoonel for pointing out the big mistake.[/color]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 13 - IceCastle entrance[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] IceCastle (entrance)

[hidden="Obsoleted"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiijC6Mu4pQ[/hidden]
[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srP0RtqT4QI[/hidden]

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: faster by 0,166s![/color]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 14 - IceCastle[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] IceCastle

[hidden="Obsoleted"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnqOKVt3yIE[/hidden]
[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8te3FAsDpA[/hidden]

Actually easier than one may think, with the exception of the last room full of enemies (at 1m 15s). But I hate ghosts, and even more if they ambush me in the last room before the save point when my attempt so far was pretty perfect. Still, this segment is very good (yes, I mess up my double jump at 44s and almost died at 1m 32s).

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: I didn’t think I could improve this segment that much, considering it is now faster by 3,133s. I gained some time in the 2nd room where I jump on the first cannonball, and in the few last rooms (although the two first jumps at 1m45 could still be better).[/color]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 15 - IceCastle boss[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] IceBall
[u]Final save point:[/u] StoneCastle

[hidden="Obsoleted"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYCZwLtEIvM[/hidden]
[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fL-xtEG3jcw[/hidden]

Pretty good fight, but I'm tardy to place the 2nd hit, and it's possible to take greater risks (i.e. move before the last attack, but the fight becomes highly luck-based).
I really don't know if I should redo it or not. Hmmm.

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: 1,9 seconds faster than before. A great fight![/color]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 16 - StoneCastle boss[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] StoneEye
[u]Final save point:[/u] SkyTown

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htQI2eCMaVg[/hidden]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 17 - Sky Town treasure[/u][/size]

[u]Abilities:[/u] Long Shots
[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] StoneCastle

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kukIWnQvRc[/hidden]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 18 - FarFall and CloudRun (part 1)[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] CloudRun

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBbvauWRbbg[/hidden]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 19 - CloudRun (part 2)[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] CloudRun

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYFcqrAGy1E[/hidden]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 20 - CloudRun boss[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] Fluffy (skipped)
[u]Final save point:[/u] FarFall

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQO-5NDon6U http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNuP_nIa2hk[/hidden]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 21 - FarFall boss[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] FarBall
[u]Final save point:[/u] Grotto

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsKOmbQCyz8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9hsxKxm6gA[/hidden]

At first glance, FarBall is the only boss in the game who leads to really significant time differences between two different executions. After many attempts and silent observations, I eventually came up with a diabolic action plan! I’m really proud of it, I must admit. Please don’t hesitate to give me your impressions on this one; I think you may be surprised! :)

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: the first part is now 0,067 seconds slower (...), but the boss dies [b]2,8 seconds[/b] faster! Special thanks to ExplodingCabbage.[/color]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 22 - Towards BlancLand[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] BlancLand

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMOs1PHmM0Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIqXchjLmCA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ0mGdBQ3tE[/hidden]

Nothing special here. After several tests, it appears that it is not possible to freeze the fish at 24s and disintegrate it at the same time, although it happened sometimes on the second fish at 31s. I still have doubts, though. More generally, I don’t understand well why enemies are sometimes disintegrated when freezed, and sometimes don’t. It seems it is based on space and/or time criteria (in other words, when and/or from where you shoot) and may be quite random too, but I’m really not sure about it.

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: 0,067 seconds faster + ghosts ambush. ;)[/color]

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT 2[/u]: 0,234 seconds faster than the v1, but no ambush anymore. :([/color]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 23 - BlancLand (part 1)[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] BlancLand

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64Z_lTWn54k[/hidden]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 24 - BlancLand (part 2)[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] The Curtain (bottom)

[hidden="Obsoleted"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cd-WjroGSHI[/hidden]
[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PCNv5yzj1A[/hidden]

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: 8,367 seconds faster in total! (And 0,233 seconds faster without the route change.) Thanks to ExplodingCabbage.[/color]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 25 - DarkGrotto[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] DarkRed
[u]Final save point:[/u] The Curtain (top)

[hidden="Obsoleted"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahxO24O9pOM[/hidden]
[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkWWPTRgZzQ[/hidden]

Concerning the boss fight, you normally have to throw back the big fireball [u]twice[/u] in order to deliver the first hit (this number is then incremented by 1 for each subsequent hit), but, if you throw it back just after it has been released, you will hit him right away.

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: 0,7 seconds faster in total. The activation of the torches is faster by 0,233 seconds, and the boss fight by 0,667 seconds.[/color]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 26 - LongBeach[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] BlackCastle

[hidden="Obsoleted"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXx28GcF0w0[/hidden]
[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiD-85inuqc[/hidden]

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: 7,8 seconds faster than the ancient segment! Thanks to ExplodingCabbage![/color]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 27 - BlackCastle (part 1)[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] BlackCastle

[hidden="Obsoleted"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etqvxsYmtBQ[/hidden]
[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ey9BoBnu88o[/hidden]

[color="rgb(36,199,0)"][u]EDIT[/u]: ~0,35 seconds faster than the ancient segment.[/color]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 28 - BlackCastle (part 2)[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] BlackCastle

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8MHREbDJec[/hidden]

Sorry. I keep the "open beta" for this segment, or I'll become crazy.
Actually, the BlackCastle would be a piece of cake without the "bubbles room" (a nightmare, so much time consuming!). This specific room would have been really great to speedrun with a save point just after it; but there's no such a thing, oh no! All in all, this segment is improvable by 10-12 seconds in the best case.
So if you project to verify this run (assuming that I manage to beat the final boss, of course...), don't hesitate to unleash your wrath and blame me to death!

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 29 - BlackNinja[/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] BlackNinja
[u]Final save point:[/u] Final Climb

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1eC_UAwM-w[/hidden]

[size="18"][color="rgb(30,180,0)"][DONE][/color] [u]Segment 30 - Ghosts everywhere![/u][/size]

[u]Boss encountered:[/u] /
[u]Final save point:[/u] Final Climb

[hidden]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Os2ISr6tZOE[/hidden]

Very easy segment, but nice to watch. :)

[size="18"][u]Segment 31 - Final boss[/u][/size]

ExplodingCabbage

2011-05-22 09:23:09 am

Can't currently watch your seg 1 vid on YouTube as it is 'private'.

Arcanod

2011-05-22 09:54:41 am

Sorry (I thought the link was enough when a video was set to "private"). I made it public again.

ExplodingCabbage

2011-05-22 10:04:58 am

There's a third option, 'Unlisted', which will prevent the video showing up in your channel but allow anyone with the link to watch it. I think that's what you want.

Arcanod

2011-05-22 10:13:49 am

Indeed, thank you.

ExplodingCabbage

Edit history:

ExplodingCabbage: 2011-05-24 06:56:39 am

2011-05-24 06:51:26 am

Just FYI, I've watched the vids, am quite impressed by the execution, the planning seems solid at a glance though I haven't thought about it much, and I will be seriously impressed if you nail the whole run on Insanity with the level of execution you've already shown. I couldn't even beat Blackcastle on Masterful, and had never seen Insanity difficulty until now; I am in awe of anyone who even finishes the game on Insanity, let alone speedruns it.

So yeah, you have at least one person watching and enjoying this run even if I don't have much to contribute. Smiley

BTW have you planned out your crystal collection fully? Do you actually need to collect crystals from all the bosses or can you skip the crystals for some of them?

Patashu

2011-05-24 09:04:53 am

Can't wait for the curtain and beyond Cheesy

zoonel

2011-05-24 03:05:31 pm

Go play spacechem !

Quote:

Just FYI, I've watched the vids, am quite impressed by the execution

I second this. The boss parts where very well executed and shows a very good knowledge of the patterns (and collision masks).

Sadly I cant help for the planning Sad

. Also i dont remember, do you need all the gold orbs in insane difficulty? does that mean you have to kill all the bosses? because
StoneEye is my worst nightmare ^^
And for the cristals it seems that missing 1 or 2 at each boss is inevitable, but it only matters if you want the long shots skill i suppose.
One last question, is insane difficulty the same as masterfull for the boss patterns/ enemies & dungeons layouts? Yep, i'm not insane enough to complete this game in insane mode too :p

Anyway I'm very interested in this run.

Arcanod

2011-05-24 04:10:04 pm

Quote from ExplodingCabbage:

So yeah, you have at least one person watching and enjoying this run even if I don't have much to contribute.

That's great! Thank you for your support. Smiley

Quote from ExplodingCabbage:

BTW have you planned out your crystal collection fully? Do you actually need to collect crystals from all the bosses or can you skip the crystals for some of them?

Pretty much. If I don't forget anything, I need exactly 1051 crystals in order to buy the 3 items at the shop and open all the gates (which are located in NightWalk, FireCage and FarFall).
In my knowledge, 3 boss can be skipped : NightSpirit, BlancBlock and Fluffy. The 13 others (BlackNinja excepted) drop a total of 1500 crystals, plus a small bonus I can get from pots and ennemies during the travels.

Quote from zoonel:

Also i dont remember, do you need all the gold orbs in insane difficulty? does that mean you have to kill all the bosses? because
StoneEye is my worst nightmare ^^

Yes, you need all of them. Excepted the "1 hit kills you", the game in Insanity is exactly the same as in Masterfull.
StoneEye is hard indeed, but the WORST nightmare will be FarBall for sure. He is easy when you play normally, but at full speed, I still can't imagine the hell it must be...

Quote from zoonel:

[...] but it only matters if you want the long shots skill i suppose.

Long shots is a must have for BlackCastle and the final boss.

By the way, I will sadly have to redo the 4th segment, as I made a terrible mistake towards the end (--> waiting for the bots to move instead of reinitializing their position by going to the adjacent screen). Cry

[quote=ExplodingCabbage]So yeah, you have at least one person watching and enjoying this run even if I don't have much to contribute.[/quote]
That's great! Thank you for your support. :)

[quote=ExplodingCabbage]BTW have you planned out your crystal collection fully? Do you actually need to collect crystals from all the bosses or can you skip the crystals for some of them?[/quote]
Pretty much. If I don't forget anything, I need exactly [b]1051[/b] crystals in order to buy the 3 items at the shop and open all the gates (which are located in NightWalk, FireCage and FarFall).
In my knowledge, 3 boss can be skipped : NightSpirit, BlancBlock and Fluffy. The 13 others (BlackNinja excepted) drop a total of [b]1500[/b] crystals, plus a small bonus I can get from pots and ennemies during the travels.

[quote=zoonel]Also i dont remember, do you need all the gold orbs in insane difficulty? does that mean you have to kill all the bosses? because 
StoneEye is my worst nightmare ^^[/quote]
Yes, you need all of them. Excepted the "1 hit kills you", the game in Insanity is exactly the same as in Masterfull.
StoneEye is hard indeed, but the WORST nightmare will be FarBall for sure. He is easy when you play normally, but at full speed, I still can't imagine the hell it must be...

[quote=zoonel][...] but it only matters if you want the long shots skill i suppose.[/quote]
Long shots is a must have for BlackCastle and the final boss.

By the way, I will sadly have to redo the 4th segment, as I made a terrible mistake towards the end (--> waiting for the bots to move instead of reinitializing their position by going to the adjacent screen). :'(

Patashu

2011-05-24 06:33:30 pm

You're going to do the trick to get the gold orb from blancland without fighting the boss, right? Are there any similar tricks for other bosses?

Arcanod

2011-05-25 03:48:14 am

Yes (--> with all the jump & double jump upgrade, you can reveal the save point screen after the boss and then teleport there, like I did in the 2nd segment).
NightSpirit is easy to skip: you just have to bounce off the small ghosts to reach to upper right platform. Same goes for Fluffy, where you have to bounce off the missiles.

Arcanod

2011-05-26 03:12:25 pm

A small question: I encode the videos in VirtualDub with the Xvid codec, but, as you can see, there is always a transparent and very annoying vertical line at the right side of the screen. Plus it’s rather large, perhaps 7 pixels. Do you have encountered that phenomenon before? I have kept the raw files of the segments in case of a better solution. I could encode with DivX too, but the screen width must be a multiple of 4 (and the width here is 630px).

ExplodingCabbage

Edit history:

ExplodingCabbage: 2011-05-26 05:13:01 pm

ExplodingCabbage: 2011-05-26 05:12:56 pm

2011-05-26 05:12:31 pm

Just watched your recent segments and am very impressed. Some of the bosses just look insane on Insane difficulty.

As for encoding, have you tried Anri-Chan? Dunno how that compares quality-wise to encoding with Xvid in VirtualDub.

Patashu

2011-05-26 05:14:33 pm

Interesting, I never knew that fireballing the chasers made them turn around. Cheesy

Arcanod

2011-05-28 04:08:42 am

Quote from ExplodingCabbage:

As for encoding, have you tried Anri-Chan? Dunno how that compares quality-wise to encoding with Xvid in VirtualDub.

I will try Anri-chan, then. Thanks for the suggestion.

Patashu

2011-05-29 04:31:34 am

Man, you are -cranking- these out. Keep showing Insanity who's boss!

ExplodingCabbage

Edit history:

ExplodingCabbage: 2011-05-29 05:21:40 am

ExplodingCabbage: 2011-05-29 05:05:17 am

ExplodingCabbage: 2011-05-29 05:01:28 am

ExplodingCabbage: 2011-05-29 04:59:48 am

2011-05-29 04:58:46 am

Just found THIS:

Interesting. Maybe you'd care to try an RTA run of the game using this glitch at some point in the future, though using it would clearly make any run a different category to what you're doing now.

By the way, I've noticed the sound quality in your vids isn't great. The music during the boss fight in segment 12 was particularly harsh on the ears. What's up with that?

Arcanod

2011-05-29 06:09:44 am

Quote from Patashu:

Man, you are -cranking- these out. Keep showing Insanity who's boss!

Okay! But IceCastle will be a hard part and I fear ghosts’ ambushes (these guys appear once you meet them in the story, and the probability for them to appear increases with each gold orb you collect).

Quote from ExplodingCabbage:

Interesting. Maybe you'd care to try an RTA run of the game using this glitch at some point in the future, though using it would clearly make any run a different category to what you're doing now.

Wow... scary! You like to find that sort of stuff, don’t you? Wink

RTA means "Run Time Access", right? I won’t attempt such a run, as I really dislike glitches.

Quote from ExplodingCabbage:

By the way, I've noticed the sound quality in your vids isn't great. The music during the boss fight in segment 12 was particularly harsh on the ears. What's up with that?

Really? The sound seems normal to me. Perhaps it’s because I record with very low volume? But I agree with you on the boss music in segment 12, although I think it is harsh in the game too.

[quote="Patashu"]Man, you are -cranking- these out. Keep showing Insanity who's boss![/quote]
Okay! But IceCastle will be a hard part and I fear ghosts’ ambushes (these guys appear once you meet them in the story, and the probability for them to appear increases with each gold orb you collect).

[quote="ExplodingCabbage"]Interesting. Maybe you'd care to try an RTA run of the game using this glitch at some point in the future, though using it would clearly make any run a different category to what you're doing now.[/quote]
Wow... scary! You like to find that sort of stuff, don’t you? ;)
RTA means "Run Time Access", right? I won’t attempt such a run, as I [i]really[/i] dislike glitches.

[quote="ExplodingCabbage"]By the way, I've noticed the sound quality in your vids isn't great. The music during the boss fight in segment 12 was particularly harsh on the ears. What's up with that?[/quote]
Really? The sound seems normal to me. Perhaps it’s because I record with very low volume? But I agree with you on the boss music in segment 12, although I think it is harsh in the game too.

ExplodingCabbage

2011-05-29 06:25:29 am

Quote from Arcanod:

Wow... scary! You like to find that sort of stuff, don’t you? Wink

Just for the record in case you didn't see the YouTube username or date that vid was posted, I didn't discover that glitch myself - I just stumbled across vgperson's YouTube video of it. Smiley

Quote:

RTA means "Run Time Access", right?

Nah, 'Real Time Attack'. It's a type of speedrun where you run in a single sitting, like a single segment run, but you can save and load as you go to exploit glitches involving saving and loading, and everything gets included in timing. SDA doesn't accept this type of run yet but there's been some talk relatively recently about starting to do so.

Quote:

I won’t attempt such a run, as I really dislike glitches.

Fair enough.

Quote:

Quote from ExplodingCabbage:

By the way, I've noticed the sound quality in your vids isn't great. The music during the boss fight in segment 12 was particularly harsh on the ears. What's up with that?

Really? The sound seems normal to me. Perhaps it’s because I record with very low volume? But I agree with you on the boss music in segment 12, although I think it is harsh in the game too.

I only notice it during boss fights. Some of the music, plus the sound effect that plays when you hit a boss, sounds a bit... fuzzy. Maybe I'm imagining it though.

[quote="Arcanod"]Wow... scary! You like to find that sort of stuff, don’t you? ;)[/quote]

Just for the record in case you didn't see the YouTube username or date that vid was posted, I didn't discover that glitch myself - I just stumbled across vgperson's YouTube video of it. :)

[quote]RTA means "Run Time Access", right?[/quote]

Nah, 'Real Time Attack'. It's a type of speedrun where you run in a single sitting, like a single segment run, but you can save and load as you go to exploit glitches involving saving and loading, and everything gets included in timing. SDA doesn't accept this type of run yet but there's been some talk relatively recently about starting to do so.

[quote]I won’t attempt such a run, as I [i]really[/i] dislike glitches.[/quote]

Fair enough.

[quote][quote="ExplodingCabbage"]By the way, I've noticed the sound quality in your vids isn't great. The music during the boss fight in segment 12 was particularly harsh on the ears. What's up with that?[/quote]
Really? The sound seems normal to me. Perhaps it’s because I record with very low volume? But I agree with you on the boss music in segment 12, although I think it is harsh in the game too.[/quote]

I only notice it during boss fights. Some of the music, plus the sound effect that plays when you hit a boss, sounds a bit... fuzzy. Maybe I'm imagining it though.

BlueGlass

2011-05-29 06:32:14 am

Yep yep yep!

Yeah, I've noticed that weirdness during the boss fight music myself. No idea why it's only noticeable there, but it definitely doesn't sound quite right.

That said, this run is absolutely amazing so far, great work. Personally, I have yet to get past The Curtain on masterful, so watching you make insanity look easy is a real treat.

zoonel

2011-05-29 04:09:32 pm

Go play spacechem !

Oh nooo why did you do the curtain like that, i was sure you would jump directly to the yellow thing (jumper, booster, ?)
here is a video on what you could have done, its a very old video i did to test fraps and AUS . I've split the whole thing so you can focus on the part i want to show you and also how the boss sound should be :p. The execution is bad i didnt try to speedrun it, its just a normal play but it should give you a hint on what to do ; you can directly jump on the yellow thing and you can do it directly with good timing (not go back to the platform as i did in the vid).

Attachment:

AUSthecurtain.mp4

Arcanod

Edit history:

Arcanod: 2011-05-29 04:22:47 pm

Arcanod: 2011-05-29 04:21:57 pm

Arcanod: 2011-05-29 04:21:47 pm

Arcanod: 2011-05-29 04:21:38 pm

2011-05-29 04:21:28 pm

How could I miss that?! Cry

It is too late, I will continue from where I am now, but thank you for enlighten me on this horrible mistake.

Patashu

2011-05-29 05:13:16 pm

You should try and redo iceball imo, you could save up to four seconds by landing boss hits instantly

ExplodingCabbage

Edit history:

ExplodingCabbage: 2011-05-29 05:39:11 pm

2011-05-29 05:35:37 pm

Going back and redoing stuff because of a mistake in an earlier segment is pretty demotivating, I know, but four segments isn't massively much to redo in a run that has this many segments anyway. Given how tightly optimised the rest of the run is, I expect the mistake in the Curtain will just bug you forever if you don't fix it now.

Plus, segment 13 is an easy short segment, you say segment 14 isn't that bad, and segment 15 you're considering redoing anyway. I really think it'd be worth going back to segment 12 and improving it.

Arcanod

2011-05-30 05:04:03 am

Sorry Patashu, I'm not sure to understand what you say. You want me to hit the boss quicker, or make reference to some sort of strategy I am missing?