Chrono Trigger 100% SS - new record 5:41!

Essentia

Edit history:

Essentia: 2012-03-04 09:17:16 am

Essentia: 2011-10-08 10:18:47 am

Essentia: 2011-10-07 03:56:33 pm

2010-12-18 12:37:43 am

Everything's better with Magitek

I've been working on this for the SDA marathon, but I'm also thinking I'd like to actually do a run for SDA. The current 100% run pretty outdated, especially considering it's based off an obsoleted any% run. Then tonight I just completed a segmented runthrough using SS strats (so no luck manipulation) that beat the current run by about 18 minutes at the final save.* I'm going to start streaming some SS attempts (see my stream thread here), but it's unlikely I'll get a satisfactory run before the marathon. Doesn't hurt to try, though, right?

*My final time was around 5:57, which would beat the current run by 34 minutes. However, I believe the current run was mistimed. It's listed as 6:31, but this doesn't make sense to me: The time at the final save point was 6:06, and then in real time it was about 8 minutes from then until the final boss died. So it seems like the run's final time should be 6:15 instead. Even if for some reason the ending was counted, that would give a time of only 6:27. If anyone knows why it's 6:31, please let me know.

I've been following a report used by the Ultima Garden RTA translated from Japanese using Google, but of course this doesn't resemble English all that much. I've been able to figure out most of it, but there are some particular things that I don't understand or have questions about. If anyone can help me with these, I'd really appreciate it.

1. During some cutscenes you can press X to open the menu when you shouldn't be able to, and this can shorten the length of the cutscene. The UG run does this when Mt. Woe falls and I think when Lavos shows up in the Ocean Palace, and the new new game+ run (which has been accepted but not yet posted) does it a couple times during between the Lavos battles. By mashing X, I can get this trick to work sometimes, but other times the menu never opens. Is there a consistent way to do this, or is it just luck? And are there other cutscenes where this trick can be used?

2. At the fair, it's possible to avoid having to wait for Marle to choose some candy. How does this candy skip work?

3. Apparently the battle in Truce Canyon with a Poly and Green Imp can be avoided, but I haven't been able to do it. Here's what the UG report says (if anyone gets this to work, let me know):

Quote:

Way, the left side of the bridge (just before Encounter) stopped in an instant, on entering, go left just as it is

4. There's some kind of trick that they do during the cutscene where Melchior is repairing the Masamune, but I really can't understand it. Again, here's what the report says (Bosch=Melchior):

Quote:

Bosch just hit a dash (swing state) is in early.
In particular, when they start to research by Bosch, just before going to the cupboard, Lucca Lucca per started chanting, Bosch "Well, I started, " he said later, it hit at the timing of
Each one second faster processing

5. The strategy for Flea is pretty much the same as in the current any% run: Berserk Frog and just let him attack. For most of the battle Flea will do nothing, which makes for a very fast battle. Why does this happen? It seems to me that Flea is more likely to perform actions when characters other than Frog do something. Is this true, or is it my imagination?

6. A couple battles can be skipped in the Dactyl Nest, but again I've never been able to do it. They're the two Cave Apes + Shist and two Avian Rexes, both on the second screen of the area. If anyone manages to do this, let me know.

Cave Ape x2 + Shist:

Quote:

To do so, only to dash straight from the bottom right edge of the Genbu[Shist] close.

Avian Rex x2:

Quote:

Enter the above along the walls, dots move to the left and then press down a little two stops where you can avoid the Encounter with a dash toward the ladder.

7. Is it possible to get through the Sunken Desert without any encounters? In my recent practice I've been able to get just one battle which contained 3 Hexapods, but I could have sworn I've avoided that battle before.

8. In the UG report, when first entering the Black Omen, they kill the Laser Guards, then do some equipping and use a shelter before fighting the Mega Mutant. However, there's no savepoint, so I don't know how they were able to use a shelter. It might just be a mistake - I've found a couple places where they had to have used a shelter but it doesn't say so in the report.

9. In the Black Omen, there's one room where you get a battle with two Aliens and two Blobs, then another battle with just two Aliens. The first battle is easily avoided; however, I've avoided the second battle only once, and I don't know how I did it. I could use some help figuring out how to skip the two Aliens consistently.

10. For learning how to avoid encounters, I've mainly relied on the any% run, but that run ends after the Tyrano Lair. The 100% run has been helpful for the rest of the areas, but I don't fully trust it because it runs into some battles that I know are avoidable. Does anyone know of any videos or guides for avoiding encounters?

Thread title:

I've been working on this for the SDA marathon, but I'm also thinking I'd like to actually do a run for SDA.  The current 100% run pretty outdated, especially considering it's based off an obsoleted any% run.  Then tonight I just completed a segmented runthrough using SS strats (so no luck manipulation) that beat the current run by about 18 minutes at the final save.*  I'm going to start streaming some SS attempts (see my stream thread [url=http://forum.speeddemosarchive.com/post/square_queenix__chrono_trigger_ss_practice_fri_1218_around_7pm_est.html#square_queenix__chrono_trigger_ss_practice_fri_1218_around_7pm_est_19-]here[/url]), but it's unlikely I'll get a satisfactory run before the marathon.  Doesn't hurt to try, though, right?

*My final time was around 5:57, which would beat the current run by 34 minutes.  However, I believe the current run was mistimed.  It's listed as 6:31, but this doesn't make sense to me: The time at the final save point was 6:06, and then in real time it was about 8 minutes from then until the final boss died.  So it seems like the run's final time should be 6:15 instead.  Even if for some reason the ending was counted, that would give a time of only 6:27.  If anyone knows why it's 6:31, please let me know.

I've been following a report used by the Ultima Garden RTA translated from Japanese using Google, but of course this doesn't resemble English all that much.  I've been able to figure out most of it, but there are some particular things that I don't understand or have questions about.  If anyone can help me with these, I'd really appreciate it.

1. During some cutscenes you can press X to open the menu when you shouldn't be able to, and this can shorten the length of the cutscene.  The UG run does this when Mt. Woe falls and I think when Lavos shows up in the Ocean Palace, and the new new game+ run (which has been accepted but not yet posted) does it a couple times during between the Lavos battles.  By mashing X, I can get this trick to work sometimes, but other times the menu never opens.  Is there a consistent way to do this, or is it just luck?  And are there other cutscenes where this trick can be used?

2. At the fair, it's possible to avoid having to wait for Marle to choose some candy.  How does this candy skip work?

3. Apparently the battle in Truce Canyon with a Poly and Green Imp can be avoided, but I haven't been able to do it.  Here's what the UG report says (if anyone gets this to work, let me know): [quote]Way, the left side of the bridge (just before Encounter) stopped in an instant, on entering, go left just as it is[/quote]

4. There's some kind of trick that they do during the cutscene where Melchior is repairing the Masamune, but I really can't understand it.  Again, here's what the report says (Bosch=Melchior):
[quote]Bosch just hit a dash (swing state) is in early.
In particular, when they start to research by Bosch, just before going to the cupboard, Lucca Lucca per started chanting, Bosch "Well, I started, " he said later, it hit at the timing of
Each one second faster processing[/quote]

5. The strategy for Flea is pretty much the same as in the current any% run: Berserk Frog and just let him attack.  For most of the battle Flea will do nothing, which makes for a very fast battle.  Why does this happen?  It seems to me that Flea is more likely to perform actions when characters other than Frog do something.  Is this true, or is it my imagination?

6. A couple battles can be skipped in the Dactyl Nest, but again I've never been able to do it.  They're the two Cave Apes + Shist and two Avian Rexes, both on the second screen of the area.  If anyone manages to do this, let me know.

Cave Ape x2 + Shist:[quote]To do so, only to dash straight from the bottom right edge of the Genbu[Shist] close.[/quote]
Avian Rex x2:[quote]Enter the above along the walls, dots move to the left and then press down a little two stops where you can avoid the Encounter with a dash toward the ladder.[/quote]

7. Is it possible to get through the Sunken Desert without any encounters?  In my recent practice I've been able to get just one battle which contained 3 Hexapods, but I could have sworn I've avoided that battle before.

8. In the UG report, when first entering the Black Omen, they kill the Laser Guards, then do some equipping and use a shelter before fighting the Mega Mutant.  However, there's no savepoint, so I don't know how they were able to use a shelter.  It might just be a mistake - I've found a couple places where they had to have used a shelter but it doesn't say so in the report.

9. In the Black Omen, there's one room where you get a battle with two Aliens and two Blobs, then another battle with just two Aliens.  The first battle is easily avoided; however, I've avoided the second battle only once, and I don't know how I did it.  I could use some help figuring out how to skip the two Aliens consistently.

10. For learning how to avoid encounters, I've mainly relied on the any% run, but that run ends after the Tyrano Lair.  The 100% run has been helpful for the rest of the areas, but I don't fully trust it because it runs into some battles that I know are avoidable.  Does anyone know of any videos or guides for avoiding encounters?

VorpalEdge

Edit history:

VorpalEdge: 2010-12-18 06:55:05 am

2010-12-18 05:29:20 am

welcome to the machine

Quote from Essentia:

1. During some cutscenes you can press X to open the menu when you shouldn't be able to, and this can shorten the length of the cutscene. The UG run does this when Mt. Woe falls and I think when Lavos shows up in the Ocean Palace, and the new new game+ run (which has been accepted but not yet posted) does it a couple times during between the Lavos battles. By mashing X, I can get this trick to work sometimes, but other times the menu never opens. Is there a consistent way to do this, or is it just luck? And are there other cutscenes where this trick can be used?

Of the three cutscenes I used it on in the ng+ run, all involved holding (not mashing) X after the game had finished fading to black (not during a fade-to-black; after the screen was already as black as it could be). The timing differs depending on the cutscene. The one after the fair had some leeway after it faded completely, while the one after lavos shell had to have X held pretty much immediately. Also, it's possible to hold X too early, in which case you won't get it.

These can be done consistently. I was getting them 90+% of the time, so keep at it.

Quote:

2. At the fair, it's possible to avoid having to wait for Marle to choose some candy. How does this candy skip work?

This is the last thing I would worry about in an SS run. It's either frame-based or luck-based or both. Basically, see here. If that description seems incomplete and useless to you, that's because it is. I never found a consistent way of doing it, which made ng+ attempts very tedious.

I can't help with anything else, sorry. Might try working on some of the other things you mentioned, but I have enough to worry about for the marathon already.

[quote="Essentia"]1. During some cutscenes you can press X to open the menu when you shouldn't be able to, and this can shorten the length of the cutscene.  The UG run does this when Mt. Woe falls and I think when Lavos shows up in the Ocean Palace, and the new new game+ run (which has been accepted but not yet posted) does it a couple times during between the Lavos battles.  By mashing X, I can get this trick to work sometimes, but other times the menu never opens.  Is there a consistent way to do this, or is it just luck?  And are there other cutscenes where this trick can be used?[/quote]

Of the three cutscenes I used it on in the ng+ run, all involved holding (not mashing) X after the game had finished fading to black (not during a fade-to-black; after the screen was already as black as it could be).  The timing differs depending on the cutscene.  The one after the fair had some leeway after it faded completely, while the one after lavos shell had to have X held pretty much immediately.  Also, it's possible to hold X too early, in which case you won't get it.

These can be done consistently.  I was getting them 90+% of the time, so keep at it.

[quote]2. At the fair, it's possible to avoid having to wait for Marle to choose some candy.  How does this candy skip work?[/quote]

This is the last thing I would worry about in an SS run.  It's either frame-based or luck-based or both.  Basically, see [url=http://speeddemosarchive.com/kb/Chrono_Trigger]here[/url].  If that description seems incomplete and useless to you, that's because it is.  I never found a consistent way of doing it, which made ng+ attempts very tedious.

I can't help with anything else, sorry.  Might try working on some of the other things you mentioned, but I have enough to worry about for the marathon already.

weak-ling

2010-12-18 05:29:27 am

Menu trick explanation: http://tasvideos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=227842#227842

Quote from inichi:

There is one frame window in a specific screen transition. If the X button is pressed there, you can enter the menu. Also, you don't need to mash the X button to open the menu. Instead of that, just hold down the button, and the game considers it was pressed on the right timing. It should be noted, however, that it doesn't work if you start holding down the button too early. I always start holding it down as soon as the screen goes completely dark. I'd recommend you to follow it because it is quite easy to grasp the timing.

Candy skip discovered here: http://tasvideos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=122613#122613

Quote from hero of the day:

Bisqwit, there seems to be a certain variable that changes every single frame. This variable goes through stages of (I think 9) before starting over. During each change in the variable, it allows Crono to walk past an event trigger by a certain amount before being compelled to walk back or stop. There is a point within this 9 frame variation that allows Crono to travel the maximum distance possible. Ex: Look at the conversation with his mother. Sometimes you get stuck right in front of her and other times you can walk almost right beside her before being stopped.

With the candy lady, Crono doesn't actually pass the event trigger, but he gets close enough to the "exit" trigger on the top of the screen. The new "exit" trigger overrides the candy lady trigger.

Candy skip seems to be timing based, but there has been some discussion that you might get a favorable timing if you stop walking for one frame at some point.

I'm sure there's some other interesting stuff to be found in that thread. The latest TAS (http://tasvideos.org/2240S.html) uses some crazy tricks, like skipping almost everything, but most might not be applicable to your run.

P.S.: For skipping some battles you cannot be holding the run button.

Menu trick explanation: http://tasvideos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=227842#227842
[quote="inichi"]There is one frame window in a specific screen transition. If the X button is pressed there, you can enter the menu. Also, you don't need to mash the X button to open the menu. Instead of that, just hold down the button, and the game considers it was pressed on the right timing. It should be noted, however, that it doesn't work if you start holding down the button too early. I always start holding it down as soon as the screen goes completely dark. I'd recommend you to follow it because it is quite easy to grasp the timing.[/quote]
Candy skip discovered here: http://tasvideos.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=122613#122613
[quote="hero of the day"]Bisqwit, there seems to be a certain variable that changes every single frame. This variable goes through stages of (I think 9) before starting over. During each change in the variable, it allows Crono to walk past an event trigger by a certain amount before being compelled to walk back or stop. There is a point within this 9 frame variation that allows Crono to travel the maximum distance possible. Ex: Look at the conversation with his mother. Sometimes you get stuck right in front of her and other times you can walk almost right beside her before being stopped.

With the candy lady, Crono doesn't actually pass the event trigger, but he gets close enough to the "exit" trigger on the top of the screen. The new "exit" trigger overrides the candy lady trigger.
[/quote]Candy skip seems to be timing based, but there has been some discussion that you might get a favorable timing if you stop walking for one frame at some point.

I'm sure there's some other interesting stuff to be found in that thread. The latest TAS (http://tasvideos.org/2240S.html) uses some crazy tricks, like skipping almost everything, but most might not be applicable to your run.

P.S.: For skipping some battles you cannot be holding the run button.

Rakuen

2010-12-18 10:41:18 am

Weegee Time

Quote from Essentia:

4. There's some kind of trick that they do during the cutscene where Melchior is repairing the Masamune, but I really can't understand it. Again, here's what the report says (Bosch=Melchior):

Quote:

Bosch just hit a dash (swing state) is in early.
In particular, when they start to research by Bosch, just before going to the cupboard, Lucca Lucca per started chanting, Bosch "Well, I started, " he said later, it hit at the timing of
Each one second faster processing

I think that this is the same as what's used in the Telepod area of the TAS.

Quote:

Playing around at the Telepod area
Unless Crono picks up the pendant, you never lose control, which provides a first huge play-around time. This is useful not only to mess around, but also to make a moving counter of Taban and Lucca faster. Normally, the moving counter of them are incremented by 1 per 4 frames. However, if you keep touching him/her, it is incremented by 1 per 1 frame.

So just keep touching him to make him work faster.

Quote:

5. The strategy for Flea is pretty much the same as in the current any% run: Berserk Frog and just let him attack. For most of the battle Flea will do nothing, which makes for a very fast battle. Why does this happen? It seems to me that Flea is more likely to perform actions when characters other than Frog do something. Is this true, or is it my imagination?

I've spent about an hour searching for this, and I've reached a conclusion. Everyone knows you're supposed to give Frog the Berserker for the Flea fight, but no one knows why for certain. I can't find any game mechanics or algorithm guides anywhere either. The best I've found is a guess that the Berserker doesn't trigger counter attacks from Flea for some reason.

http://chrono.wikia.com/wiki/Flea

[quote="Essentia"]4. There's some kind of trick that they do during the cutscene where Melchior is repairing the Masamune, but I really can't understand it.  Again, here's what the report says (Bosch=Melchior):
[quote]Bosch just hit a dash (swing state) is in early.
In particular, when they start to research by Bosch, just before going to the cupboard, Lucca Lucca per started chanting, Bosch "Well, I started, " he said later, it hit at the timing of
Each one second faster processing[/quote][/quote]
I think that this is the same as what's used in the Telepod area of the TAS.
[quote]Playing around at the Telepod area
Unless Crono picks up the pendant, you never lose control, which provides a first huge play-around time. This is useful not only to mess around, but also to make a moving counter of Taban and Lucca faster. Normally, the moving counter of them are incremented by 1 per 4 frames. However, if you keep touching him/her, it is incremented by 1 per 1 frame.[/quote]
So just keep touching him to make him work faster.

[quote]5. The strategy for Flea is pretty much the same as in the current any% run: Berserk Frog and just let him attack.  For most of the battle Flea will do nothing, which makes for a very fast battle.  Why does this happen?  It seems to me that Flea is more likely to perform actions when characters other than Frog do something.  Is this true, or is it my imagination?[/quote]
I've spent about an hour searching for this, and I've reached a conclusion.  Everyone knows you're supposed to give Frog the Berserker for the Flea fight, but no one knows why for certain.  I can't find any game mechanics or algorithm guides anywhere either.  The best I've found is a guess that the Berserker doesn't trigger counter attacks from Flea for some reason.

http://chrono.wikia.com/wiki/Flea

japanzaman

2010-12-18 06:20:06 pm

The report looks more like a detailed summary rather than a FAQ to be used to reproduce the results, so some of the areas are a tad vague about what is supposed to be done. I glanced over some of the sections you highlighted but there didn't appear to be any special secrets listed for performing some of these time saving tricks- most of it was timing.

Some of these tricks look to be extremely luck based. I mean, seriously, you can't count on a frame skipping trick for a single segment run. And yeah, the Shelter part looks to have been a typo. He probably meant high ether or elixir to fill up MP.

Essentia

2010-12-28 12:11:09 am

Everything's better with Magitek

I know I haven't posted in this thread for a while, but I've still been working on this. Thanks to those who have helped. I've gotten most of these issues figured out now - it's mainly just #3 and #6 (skipping the battle in Truce Canyon and two battles in the Dactyl Nest) that I still can't get. Thanks to Nitrodon, I know even if I could pull off the candy skip, it would activate the next time I walked through that area (after coming back from the Middle Ages), so it's pointless to try to do it.

During my last stream of this game, some people suggested alternate strategies for some of the bosses. I've tested these out, and here's what I've found:

-Retinite: My original strategy was to have Magus cast Ice2, then he does regular attacks and Robo does Uzzi Punch to take out the top and bottom parts, while Lucca keeps the core alive. Someone wondered if using Falcon Hit could output more damage faster. I was worried removing Lucca and Robo from this battle would cause them to be on lower levels for the final boss, but it turns out that it makes no difference to their levels. However, Falcon Hit deals pretty much the same amount of damage as Uzzi Punch, and I can only use it on the bottom part because one Falcon Hit on the top part will also kill the core, which makes the battle a whole lot harder. Also, I'd lose a little bit of time due to switching Crono and Ayla into and out of the party. So it seems like the original strategy works better.

-Lavos Spawn (Black Omen): The Ultima Garden run avoids using Omega Flare here because of the shell's counterattack, so the strategy was to kill the head with Magus's regular attacks and Robo's Uzzi Punch, with Lucca healing when necessary. I realized I could get the head down to ~4800 HP and kill it off with an Omega Flare; one person would die from the counterattack, but I'll make sure it's Magus because he doesn't need the experience here. Then one viewer suggested I use more Omega Flares in the battle and revive whoever dies from the counterattacks. I found that two Omega Flares just fall short of killing the boss, so I added in a physical attack. This plan actually works pretty well, and even though I haven't timed it, I can tell that it's faster.

-Zeal (head and hands): Again, I was avoiding using Omega Flare until the end of the battle so the hands wouldn't counterattack. And again, a viewer wondered whether the counterattacks were all that bad. It turns out they're not - it's just MP Buster and Life Shaver to one person - and I came up with a good strategy for using four Omega Flares and a physical attack to take it out. However, when I timed it, the newer strategy was about 10 seconds slower (I think mainly due to the long animations of Omega Flare and the hands' counterattacks), plus it's more risky because I don't have Lucca available to heal at all times. So I'll probably stick with the original strategy here, although I'll need someone to keep track of how much damage I've dealt so I know when to use Omega Flare to finish it off.

Also, during the stream I tried out two different strategies for Black Tyrano. I went back and watched the ustream recording (which you can see here), and it looks like my strategy is about 16 seconds faster than the Ultima Garden strategy. I'll just have to make sure I use an extra Volt Bite in between the two countdowns so I don't die like I did during the stream.

I know I haven't posted in this thread for a while, but I've still been working on this.  Thanks to those who have helped.  I've gotten most of these issues figured out now - it's mainly just #3 and #6 (skipping the battle in Truce Canyon and two battles in the Dactyl Nest)  that I still can't get.  Thanks to Nitrodon, I know even if I could pull off the candy skip, it would activate the next time I walked through that area (after coming back from the Middle Ages), so it's pointless to try to do it.

During my last stream of this game, some people suggested alternate strategies for some of the bosses.  I've tested these out, and here's what I've found:

-Retinite: My original strategy was to have Magus cast Ice2, then he does regular attacks and Robo does Uzzi Punch to take out the top and bottom parts, while Lucca keeps the core alive.  Someone wondered if using Falcon Hit could output more damage faster.  I was worried removing Lucca and Robo from this battle would cause them to be on lower levels for the final boss, but it turns out that it makes no difference to their levels.  However, Falcon Hit deals pretty much the same amount of damage as Uzzi Punch, and I can only use it on the bottom part because one Falcon Hit on the top part will also kill the core, which makes the battle a whole lot harder.  Also, I'd lose a little bit of time due to switching Crono and Ayla into and out of the party.  So it seems like the original strategy works better.

-Lavos Spawn (Black Omen): The Ultima Garden run avoids using Omega Flare here because of the shell's counterattack, so the strategy was to kill the head with Magus's regular attacks and Robo's Uzzi Punch, with Lucca healing when necessary.  I realized I could get the head down to ~4800 HP and kill it off with an Omega Flare; one person would die from the counterattack, but I'll make sure it's Magus because he doesn't need the experience here.  Then one viewer suggested I use more Omega Flares in the battle and revive whoever dies from the counterattacks.  I found that two Omega Flares just fall short of killing the boss, so I added in a physical attack.  This plan actually works pretty well, and even though I haven't timed it, I can tell that it's faster.

-Zeal (head and hands): Again, I was avoiding using Omega Flare until the end of the battle so the hands wouldn't counterattack.  And again, a viewer wondered whether the counterattacks were all that bad.  It turns out they're not - it's just MP Buster and Life Shaver to one person - and I came up with a good strategy for using four Omega Flares and a physical attack to take it out.  However, when I timed it, the newer strategy was about 10 seconds slower (I think mainly due to the long animations of Omega Flare and the hands' counterattacks), plus it's more risky because I don't have Lucca available to heal at all times.  So I'll probably stick with the original strategy here, although I'll need someone to keep track of how much damage I've dealt so I know when to use Omega Flare to finish it off.

Also, during the stream I tried out two different strategies for Black Tyrano.  I went back and watched the ustream recording (which you can see [url=http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/11518438]here[/url]), and it looks like my strategy is about 16 seconds faster than the Ultima Garden strategy.  I'll just have to make sure I use an extra Volt Bite in between the two countdowns so I don't die like I did during the stream.

spikevegeta

2010-12-28 11:03:25 am

I love YaBB 1G - SP1!

Hey Essentia, I've actually been playing the game myself, learning how to beat the game in a single segment myself. A couple of suggestions and a request:

1. Vs. 5 Alkaline/Acids in the Factory, I would go ahead and use Crono's Cyclone until either you get down to 8 MP or there is only 1 enemy left (whichever comes first). Yes, differing colors make counterattacks, but the total damage output is worth it, and the counter attack doesn't hurt that much, considering you'll be using Cure Beam before the R-Series anyways.

2 For skipping the series of four battles in the Denadaro Mtns., I found a full proof plan. If you follow the outline of the shadow on the right, then run straight across the screen to the left all the way, you will avoid the battles every time. Inichi uses this strategy in his any% run, so you can watch that to get a visual walkthrough.

Finally, I was wondering if I could be your HP tracker for bosses throughout the run? I can't be there, so I would like to feel like I'm there in some capacity, so I could post in the stream the bosses HP for every one. I'll be using the HP totals from the Ultima Garden guide. Anyways, it's up to you. Good luck with the run, hope you pull off a sub 6:00 hour for the site one day.

P.S. I also watched your run and wrote out a guide, this was to give an english alternative to the Ultima Garden run. It's really only the first draft though, but if you're interested, here you go:

Hey Essentia, I've actually been playing the game myself, learning how to beat the game in a single segment myself. A couple of suggestions and a request:

1. Vs. 5 Alkaline/Acids in the Factory, I would go ahead and use Crono's Cyclone until either you get down to 8 MP or there is only 1 enemy left (whichever comes first). Yes, differing colors make counterattacks, but the total damage output is worth it, and the counter attack doesn't hurt that much, considering you'll be using Cure Beam before the R-Series anyways.

2 For skipping the series of four battles in the Denadaro Mtns., I found a full proof plan. If you follow the outline of the shadow on the right, then run straight across the screen to the left all the way, you will avoid the battles every time. Inichi uses this strategy in his any% run, so you can watch that to get a visual walkthrough.

Finally, I was wondering if I could be your HP tracker for bosses throughout the run? I can't be there, so I would like to feel like I'm there in some capacity, so I could post in the stream the bosses HP for every one. I'll be using the HP totals from the Ultima Garden guide. Anyways, it's up to you. Good luck with the run, hope you pull off a sub 6:00 hour for the site one day.

P.S. I also watched your run and wrote out a guide, this was to give an english alternative to the Ultima Garden run. It's really only the first draft though, but if you're interested, here you go:

Attachment:

Chrono Trigger RTA.rtf

Darkwing Duck

2010-12-28 05:54:23 pm

Highly Evolved

Well, given how about 6 of us out of 30-40 viewers were doing HP tracking through some of the bosses, I doubt there will be any issues regarding that in a stream of ~1000.

Axel Ryman

2010-12-28 06:08:33 pm

We all scream for Eyes Cream

Yeah and since I plan on staying up during the entire thing I can always do it via calculator.

Essentia

2010-12-28 11:20:25 pm

Everything's better with Magitek

spikevegeta, thanks for your suggestions. In the alkaline/acid battle, I usually try to use cyclone if I can hit only acids, but it just didn't work out during my stream. I'll have to test that part to see if it would be worth it to use cyclone regardless of what I hit.

In Denadoro Mountains, I'd studied how Inichi avoided those battles, but I thought I'd found a faster/easier way. Apparently my way doesn't always work, though.

As for HP tracking, thanks for the offer, but I think it would be better to have someone physically at the marathon do it, so I don't have to worry about stream lag or trying to find the numbers in the chat (especially if there are a lot of people in the chat). I think now the only boss where I'll need HP tracked is Zeal 2.

And thanks for that guide that you wrote. I was planning on rewriting my notes anyway, so that gives me a good start on it.

Essentia

2011-10-07 03:45:19 pm

Everything's better with Magitek

I've been working on this run quite a bit the past couple weeks. I've found a bunch of improvements since I ran this for AGDQ; here are some of them:

-Avoid 4 more encounters: the battle in Truce Canyon twice, and two battles in Dactyl Nest (saves ~40 seconds)

-Turn battle speed up to 1 for Heckran, substitute slash for the last antipode, and use one less aura whirl and mid tonic (~50 seconds)

-Wait for Nizbel to attack before casting the first lightning on him; lets Ayla and Robo get more hits in before he does his electrocution attack (30-60 seconds)

-Use battle speed 2 on Giga Gaia; can kill him before he regenerates arms a second time (~8 seconds)

-Use battle speed 2 on Golem Twins; Lucca can cast Fire2 before the enemies get a second turn, which lets both Crono and Ayla heal on the first turn so I don't have to waste time healing later on (~55 seconds)

-When Magus joins, don't put him in the party right away; less dialogue when talking to Gaspar (5 seconds)

-Switch Lucca out for the Crono resurrection scene on Death Peak; less dialogue (~15 seconds)

-Use Ice2 instead of Fire2 for the Krakker leveling on Death Peak; shorter spell animations (~20 seconds)

-Use Ice2 instead of Lightning2 for all the battles in Geno Dome; shorter spell animations (~50 seconds)

-Turn battle speed down to 3 for Son of Sun; can almost always kill him in two rounds instead of three (1-2 minutes)

With all these improvements, I'm hoping to get below 5:50. (For reference, my final time at AGDQ would have been about 5:58 if I hadn't died to Lavos.) I'm hoping to stream a run attempt sometime tonight; you'll be able to watch at http://www.twitch.tv/essentiafour

I've been working on this run quite a bit the past couple weeks.  I've found a bunch of improvements since I ran this for AGDQ; here are some of them:

-Avoid 4 more encounters: the battle in Truce Canyon twice, and two battles in Dactyl Nest (saves ~40 seconds)

-Turn battle speed up to 1 for Heckran, substitute slash for the last antipode, and use one less aura whirl and mid tonic (~50 seconds)

-Wait for Nizbel to attack before casting the first lightning on him; lets Ayla and Robo get more hits in before he does his electrocution attack (30-60 seconds)

-Use battle speed 2 on Giga Gaia; can kill him before he regenerates arms a second time (~8 seconds)

-Use battle speed 2 on Golem Twins; Lucca can cast Fire2 before the enemies get a second turn, which lets both Crono and Ayla heal on the first turn so I don't have to waste time healing later on (~55 seconds)

-When Magus joins, don't put him in the party right away; less dialogue when talking to Gaspar (5 seconds)

-Switch Lucca out for the Crono resurrection scene on Death Peak; less dialogue (~15 seconds)

-Use Ice2 instead of Fire2 for the Krakker leveling on Death Peak; shorter spell animations (~20 seconds)

-Use Ice2 instead of Lightning2 for all the battles in Geno Dome; shorter spell animations (~50 seconds)

-Turn battle speed down to 3 for Son of Sun; can almost always kill him in two rounds instead of three (1-2 minutes)

With all these improvements, I'm hoping to get below 5:50.  (For reference, my final time at AGDQ would have been about 5:58 if I hadn't died to Lavos.)  I'm hoping to stream a run attempt sometime tonight; you'll be able to watch at http://www.twitch.tv/essentiafour

Essentia

2012-03-03 09:51:18 pm

Everything's better with Magitek

I finally got a run that I'm going to submit! The final time is 5:41, which beats the current segmented 100% run by about 50 minutes.

mikwuyma

2012-03-03 09:56:44 pm

My feelings on The Demon Rush

Real-time 5:58:31 for anyone curious. I saw the run live and it was quite impressive. Congrats Essentia!

Surreal

2012-03-03 10:10:49 pm

dabes

Very nice, congrats.

Manocheese

2012-03-04 12:18:35 am

Yes, a cucco riding the ground.

Congratulations. I look forward to watching this.

PJ

2012-03-04 01:04:50 am

Is PJ

Incredible run, Essentia! I'm glad I was able to see nearly all of it. Haha. Congrats!

Mecha Richter

2012-03-04 11:46:00 am

Haters gonna hate

It was indeed an amazing run. Great work Essentia!

Worn_Traveler

2012-03-04 11:54:50 am

Formerly known as Skullboy

I was just watching bits and pieces of the AGDQ run. Good job. I am looking forward to seeing this faster run.

Rakuen

2012-03-04 12:22:33 pm

Weegee Time

Quote from Essentia:

I finally got a run that I'm going to submit! The final time is 5:41, which beats the current segmented 100% run by about 50 minutes.

Kryal

2012-03-04 12:22:37 pm

from red to blue

isn't this faster than one of them tases?

Trekhaak

2012-03-04 12:41:02 pm

Everybody's favorite monster

Good stuff. Congratulations

romscout

2012-03-04 12:45:04 pm

that Metroidvania guy

I only got to see the second half of the run live, but I was amazed the whole time! Congrats, Ess!

Exo

2012-03-04 12:48:44 pm

Sandbagging

Congratulations on the run Essentia! Smiley

EasilyAmus3d

2012-03-04 02:02:39 pm

More useful than it ought to be.

That is absolutely amazing!! Wish I had gotten to see it live, but I still cannot wait to see this! Congrats x1000!

LotBlind

Edit history:

LotBlind: 2012-03-05 10:11:02 am

LotBlind: 2012-03-04 02:09:58 pm

2012-03-04 02:06:24 pm

Isn't it still gonna be viewable on twitch.tv for 7 days?

~~Where does the record run start though? It's not this one I guess.~~
~~http://www.twitch.tv/essentiafour/b/310535727~~

Found it: it's this video starting around 48 mins into it (with a couple resets before that).
http://www.twitch.tv/essentiafour/b/310512442

And looks like Essentia renamed the videos, so you can see which part is which.