My feelings on The Demon Rush
Game Page: http://speeddemosarchive.com/ToeJamAndEarl2.html
Robin 'Deign' Reigstad's segmented and 100% SS run (best ending)
Verifier Responses
segmented run
100% SS
Decision: Accept
Reason: One is a massive improvement and the other one is a solid addition to the site.
Robin 'Deign' Reigstad's segmented and 100% SS run (best ending)
Verifier Responses
segmented run
Quote:
Before I get into the run itself, I just want to make some comments regarding how runs for this game should be categorized in the future. TJ&E2 features multiple endings dependent on how many of Lamont’s items you recover. My original run gets the “worst” ending (as does this run), and runs with this ending will always be the fastest possible category for this game. The only other ending worth making a separate category for is the best one (for collecting all of Lamont’s items), which can be seen in Deign’s upcoming SS run. Now, both of these categories could also yield SS/segmented versions and potentially even multiplayer variations (however, I still believe that character choice should not constitute a new category, as the differences are minor, and runners are even given the option to swap characters between segments if they so choose).
Now, the complication comes in with the new level warp. TJ&E2 is rather unique in that you could use this warp and still obtain the best ending (the warp sends you to level 5, and the first of Lamont’s items doesn’t appear until level 6). Running all levels should not be required in any of the categories, however I do feel that a separate category that chooses to do all levels should probably be allowed (as it is for many games in the Mario series). Since a run of this type suggests a “completionist” attitude towards the game, it would probably be best for it to also be a 100% (best ending) run...a 103% run, if you will.
At this point, it doesn’t really matter, as this game hardly generates the competition that other games do. I currently have no interest in making an “all levels” run (a new one, that is), and I doubt Deign does either, but I just thought I’d put the information out there so the administrators fully understand the nature of the level warp. This run should obsolete my current record. As I said before, I don’t see any reason to have a bad ending/all levels run on the site now that the warp has been discovered, not to mention that the majority of the time Deign saves comes from better optimization, not the warp.
With that out of the way, let’s get down to business!
Video/audio quality: Perfectly cromulous.
Is he...teh ChEaTz0rZ!?!: Most of Deign’s segments were recorded live while streaming with numerous spectators who can vouch for the legitimacy of his skillz. So even if he had somehow figured out a way to emulate the game without us noticing, at the very least it was still played without savestates or frame advance (and no, it wasn’t emulated).
Stage by stage breakdown:
Level 1: This was executed about as close to perfect as you can get. AWWWESOME!
Level 5: Takes a hit from a fairy, which costs a few seconds. Aside from that, small amounts of time lost due to uncooperative Earthlings– nothing too severe. I still question whether using the Hyper Funk Zone here truly saves more time than it wastes, but that’s something I can mess around with whenever I get around to beating this run
HYPAH FUNK ZOHNE!
Level 6: Missing the boy in the bushes near the beginning looks a lot more costly than it actually was. Deign improvised well here (or “improved” as he said in his comments...which I guess could also be true). He loses some time when pushing a rock here, because he hadn’t yet figured out his faster pushing method at this point in the run (better solution: should have used Earl). Aside from that, any time lost was mostly due to the game’s randomness. Surprise!
Level 7: This is probably one of his best levels in the run. There’s tons of randomness in this stage, and he executes it almost perfectly. Lots of clever time-saving tricks here. COOL!
Level 8: Not as clean as the previous level, but the only glaring mistake is when Deign funk-moved away from the tourist by accident. Otherwise, good execution of a very hard level. Yummy yummy yummy!
Level 9: This begins what was probably the segment that took Deign the most number of attempts, and the very beginning of the level is a very big part of why that was the case. Everything goes well this time around, although we do get a hilarious display of the game’s physics in action when a jar ricochets off the boy up on the platform. The rest of the first area goes reasonably well. In the second area, Deign had exceptional luck in getting the flying duck at the beginning to follow him all the way down into the cave where he used his funkvac. At the part where he jars the fairy and two cow ghosts over the fungus, Deign obviously decided to turn on his cheats, as he executes it perfectly, coming within a pixel of being hit by both the fairy and cow ghost. Hey, catch!
Levels 10, 11, and 12: Minor mistakes here and there, nothing too costly. AWRIGHT!
Level 13: Very clean run of my favorite level. The only noteworthy time losses were a botched jump attempt from a bubble, and getting kicked by the girl. Ow!
Level 14: More weird jar physics in the little cave while trying to hit the cow ghost. There was a somewhat sloppy fight against a boogie man, and Deign takes a hit from a tourist. Not sure if landing in the water after the panic button was intentional, or if it’s possible to clear that jump. Takes a hit from the fairy and another tourist shortly thereafter. Overall, I would say this level probably contains the most mistakes of any in the run, but it’s balanced out by the extremely good luck in the first half of the segment...not to mention that it still blows my best time out of the water. Boogie boogie boogie!
Level 15: Deign came up with a lot of small time saving tricks (like down throwing jars to descend quicker while jumping on fungus, and tossing jars upwards at the peaks of jumps to get extra height), lots of major route changes, and demonstrated better play throughout the entire run. But I have to say that nothing impressed me as much as the panic button he used in the second area on this level. I’m still beating myself up for not thinking to try that. A couple minor mistakes in the level...getting hit by a tourist and allowing a balloon kid time to escape from the jar, nothing too costly. Smile!
Level 16: Close calls with a couple of the cow ghosts here. Beyond that, very well done considering how difficult this level is. Mooooo...
Level 17: The fairy fights here were a bit sloppy, but he still managed to finish this level about a second faster than I did, despite me having three more panic buttons than he did. I really cannot accurately express my shame. YES!
Timing: I think we came to a consensus that timing should end at either the “splat” after completion of level 17, or when the transition screen fades to black shortly after that point. This is the best way to keep timing between “good ending” and “bad ending” runs comparable, as the ending begins at this point. Technically you still have control of the character during part of the ending, but the control is limited to pressing right and skipping text – not worth making a fuss over. I’ll leave the actual timing to people who have more accurate ways of measuring it than I do.
Decision: It would have been easy for Deign to make a passable run using the level warp to obsolete mine, but he went above and beyond my expectations, saving not just seconds, but minutes on every segment, and even breaking the hour barrier, which I didn’t think was possible for this game. People who haven’t put as much time into making a run for this game as I did will look at the time and say “Wow, a half hour improvement. That’s really impressive!” But I feel like I’m uniquely qualified to know exactly how impressive that feat truly is; the amount of practice, patience, and luck that’s required to come even close to a time like this is astronomical. Deign has set the bar high with a run that will be hard to top (not that I won’t try ;)).
TLDR: Accept.
Now, the complication comes in with the new level warp. TJ&E2 is rather unique in that you could use this warp and still obtain the best ending (the warp sends you to level 5, and the first of Lamont’s items doesn’t appear until level 6). Running all levels should not be required in any of the categories, however I do feel that a separate category that chooses to do all levels should probably be allowed (as it is for many games in the Mario series). Since a run of this type suggests a “completionist” attitude towards the game, it would probably be best for it to also be a 100% (best ending) run...a 103% run, if you will.
At this point, it doesn’t really matter, as this game hardly generates the competition that other games do. I currently have no interest in making an “all levels” run (a new one, that is), and I doubt Deign does either, but I just thought I’d put the information out there so the administrators fully understand the nature of the level warp. This run should obsolete my current record. As I said before, I don’t see any reason to have a bad ending/all levels run on the site now that the warp has been discovered, not to mention that the majority of the time Deign saves comes from better optimization, not the warp.
With that out of the way, let’s get down to business!
Video/audio quality: Perfectly cromulous.
Is he...teh ChEaTz0rZ!?!: Most of Deign’s segments were recorded live while streaming with numerous spectators who can vouch for the legitimacy of his skillz. So even if he had somehow figured out a way to emulate the game without us noticing, at the very least it was still played without savestates or frame advance (and no, it wasn’t emulated).
Stage by stage breakdown:
Level 1: This was executed about as close to perfect as you can get. AWWWESOME!
Level 5: Takes a hit from a fairy, which costs a few seconds. Aside from that, small amounts of time lost due to uncooperative Earthlings– nothing too severe. I still question whether using the Hyper Funk Zone here truly saves more time than it wastes, but that’s something I can mess around with whenever I get around to beating this run
Level 6: Missing the boy in the bushes near the beginning looks a lot more costly than it actually was. Deign improvised well here (or “improved” as he said in his comments...which I guess could also be true). He loses some time when pushing a rock here, because he hadn’t yet figured out his faster pushing method at this point in the run (better solution: should have used Earl). Aside from that, any time lost was mostly due to the game’s randomness. Surprise!
Level 7: This is probably one of his best levels in the run. There’s tons of randomness in this stage, and he executes it almost perfectly. Lots of clever time-saving tricks here. COOL!
Level 8: Not as clean as the previous level, but the only glaring mistake is when Deign funk-moved away from the tourist by accident. Otherwise, good execution of a very hard level. Yummy yummy yummy!
Level 9: This begins what was probably the segment that took Deign the most number of attempts, and the very beginning of the level is a very big part of why that was the case. Everything goes well this time around, although we do get a hilarious display of the game’s physics in action when a jar ricochets off the boy up on the platform. The rest of the first area goes reasonably well. In the second area, Deign had exceptional luck in getting the flying duck at the beginning to follow him all the way down into the cave where he used his funkvac. At the part where he jars the fairy and two cow ghosts over the fungus, Deign obviously decided to turn on his cheats, as he executes it perfectly, coming within a pixel of being hit by both the fairy and cow ghost. Hey, catch!
Levels 10, 11, and 12: Minor mistakes here and there, nothing too costly. AWRIGHT!
Level 13: Very clean run of my favorite level. The only noteworthy time losses were a botched jump attempt from a bubble, and getting kicked by the girl. Ow!
Level 14: More weird jar physics in the little cave while trying to hit the cow ghost. There was a somewhat sloppy fight against a boogie man, and Deign takes a hit from a tourist. Not sure if landing in the water after the panic button was intentional, or if it’s possible to clear that jump. Takes a hit from the fairy and another tourist shortly thereafter. Overall, I would say this level probably contains the most mistakes of any in the run, but it’s balanced out by the extremely good luck in the first half of the segment...not to mention that it still blows my best time out of the water. Boogie boogie boogie!
Level 15: Deign came up with a lot of small time saving tricks (like down throwing jars to descend quicker while jumping on fungus, and tossing jars upwards at the peaks of jumps to get extra height), lots of major route changes, and demonstrated better play throughout the entire run. But I have to say that nothing impressed me as much as the panic button he used in the second area on this level. I’m still beating myself up for not thinking to try that. A couple minor mistakes in the level...getting hit by a tourist and allowing a balloon kid time to escape from the jar, nothing too costly. Smile!
Level 16: Close calls with a couple of the cow ghosts here. Beyond that, very well done considering how difficult this level is. Mooooo...
Level 17: The fairy fights here were a bit sloppy, but he still managed to finish this level about a second faster than I did, despite me having three more panic buttons than he did. I really cannot accurately express my shame. YES!
Timing: I think we came to a consensus that timing should end at either the “splat” after completion of level 17, or when the transition screen fades to black shortly after that point. This is the best way to keep timing between “good ending” and “bad ending” runs comparable, as the ending begins at this point. Technically you still have control of the character during part of the ending, but the control is limited to pressing right and skipping text – not worth making a fuss over. I’ll leave the actual timing to people who have more accurate ways of measuring it than I do.
Decision: It would have been easy for Deign to make a passable run using the level warp to obsolete mine, but he went above and beyond my expectations, saving not just seconds, but minutes on every segment, and even breaking the hour barrier, which I didn’t think was possible for this game. People who haven’t put as much time into making a run for this game as I did will look at the time and say “Wow, a half hour improvement. That’s really impressive!” But I feel like I’m uniquely qualified to know exactly how impressive that feat truly is; the amount of practice, patience, and luck that’s required to come even close to a time like this is astronomical. Deign has set the bar high with a run that will be hard to top (not that I won’t try ;)).
TLDR: Accept.
Quote:
Toejam and Earl 2 - Speedrun Comments
Toejam and Earl 1 and 2 are about as different as any two sequels can be. Yet ... get this ... they're both absolutely excellent. Though, we aren't going to talk about that damn third game. Nobody I know has played it, but the reports I have seen have not been kind. Regardless, this game is like a cross between Mario Brothers, Pokemon, and Men in Black. Oh, and I guess a touch of the original Toejam and Earl in there somewhere. It's definitely one of my favorite games from my childhood, so I'm glad someone took the time to produce a new run for it (and I hear a second is in the works).
Toejam and Earl must have a HELLUVA lot of storage room on their spaceship, because there were about five gazillion earthlings stowed away. By the way, I just wanted to mention that Boogeymen are about a thousand times less intimidating in this game than in the original. Just saying.
As far as the technical mumbo jumbo goes ... it's all fine. Good video, audio. I checked for inconsistencies between segments, but aside from the rounding of points, nothing was found.
Some extemporaneous comments during the run:
First Segment:
What was the point of warping into the alcoves in the wall at about 7:30? There probably was one; I just don't know it.
Bit of a hiccup at about 9:30 catching boogeymen. They moved pretty randomly here and our runner had to play hide and seek with them for a moment.
End Segment. By the way, you'd think there'd be an easier way to cross over the border than to be flung at the sun and back by a spring-loaded, sewer-grate launch pad with the recoil force of a nation of slap chops, but whatever.
Second Segment:
I'm impressed he was able to get the first cow ghost in one shot! Similarly, nice job nabbing the tooth fairy or whatever shortly after that when the panic was about to expire.
Damn. The funkvac at 3:30 was incredibly satisfying, I must say. There goes about half the world's population.
Throwing the jar upwards at about 5:45 was badass.
At about 6:30+, a little sloppy throwing. He's throwing many of the jars into the wall as he's falling.
Third Segment:
The dive into the water at about 45 seconds looked like a scene from North by Northwest. Nice. And again at 2:35.
Good panic at 1:50.
At 5:15 the runner struggles to nab a few earthlings.
Fourth Segment:
The runner skips picking up a jar containing a baseball kid and must capture him a second time a minute later (I think).
A lot of the hills in the background at 3:30 look like breasts.
Aw, poor Sharla. "Hi Toejam!" *A tumbleweed blows by as the dust trail following Toejam fades into the distance.*
Oopsies at 6:45. But oh well, before that there's Trixie! Trixie kicks ass.
The runner said about this segment, "It was a good five minutes faster than the previous run mostly due to the super jars." In Arrow's defense, and just so everyone knows, this only saved about three minutes on its own, assuming the runner made no improvements to the route or to execution over Arrow's run from Trixie's spot onwards. I timed the difference. But still, good job to the runner for catching this and the many other route improvements so far in this run!
Fifth Segment:
I'm assuming at about 25-30 seconds the runner used the panic in order to make the jump? As, otherwise, there is little reason for it. But, assuming that's why, it was a nice trick.
So, the Funkvac at 1:35 would not have caught the baseball kid? I assume the runner's ultimate decision necessitates this, but if it could have reached the kid, then a couple seconds was wasted jarring him.
Yes, as the runner mentioned, the tactics for the boogeymen and box guy did not work well.
A couple hiccups with the uncooperative cow and the ... stalagtite-shroom around 4:30-4:40. Not a big loss.
The runner was screwed by the autoaim around 5:45. Not a big loss, either, though.
I wonder why the runner did not use the panic a couple seconds earlier on the female tourist. I don't think he lost more than a couple seconds, but at least he'd still have his retinas.
Good funkvac at 7:40. I love watching him get rid of all those annoying earthlings.
Sixth Segment:
Pretty nice non-funkvac strategy at 1:50.
Why did he throw a jar at the tourist at 5:00?
Yikes, two boxmen at 6:30? Yeah, definitely funkvac time!
Haha, nice use of a panic through homestretch meadow. Probably the only place a normal player would never use one.
Too bad the any% ending to this game is such a monumental letdown. And you call that dancing? Lewanda looks like she wants to join a women's self-defense class and Toejam looks like he has 100 itches and can't reach a single one of them.
All in all, the decision here is not a difficult one to make. The run saves roughly a half hour over Arrow's run and reduces the any % record by a third, and 20 minutes of that is due to non-warp related route and execution improvements. While one may make the argument that warp and non-warp runs should be treated as separate categories, the issue is irrelevant here, because the run would have replaced Arrow's even without the warp. Though, the page director may want to make note of the use of the warp in the run, as it reduces the run length by a sixth or seventh.
Anyway, it's a good run. As the runner suggests, the game is horribly random and no run of TJ&2 will ever reach perfection. Still, I imagine this particular runner could improve the run someday, especially considering some of the knowledge he's gained from this effort and will be gaining in his next. But for now, this run is a commendable improvement, and it has my approval.
Accept.
Toejam and Earl 1 and 2 are about as different as any two sequels can be. Yet ... get this ... they're both absolutely excellent. Though, we aren't going to talk about that damn third game. Nobody I know has played it, but the reports I have seen have not been kind. Regardless, this game is like a cross between Mario Brothers, Pokemon, and Men in Black. Oh, and I guess a touch of the original Toejam and Earl in there somewhere. It's definitely one of my favorite games from my childhood, so I'm glad someone took the time to produce a new run for it (and I hear a second is in the works).
Toejam and Earl must have a HELLUVA lot of storage room on their spaceship, because there were about five gazillion earthlings stowed away. By the way, I just wanted to mention that Boogeymen are about a thousand times less intimidating in this game than in the original. Just saying.
As far as the technical mumbo jumbo goes ... it's all fine. Good video, audio. I checked for inconsistencies between segments, but aside from the rounding of points, nothing was found.
Some extemporaneous comments during the run:
First Segment:
What was the point of warping into the alcoves in the wall at about 7:30? There probably was one; I just don't know it.
Bit of a hiccup at about 9:30 catching boogeymen. They moved pretty randomly here and our runner had to play hide and seek with them for a moment.
End Segment. By the way, you'd think there'd be an easier way to cross over the border than to be flung at the sun and back by a spring-loaded, sewer-grate launch pad with the recoil force of a nation of slap chops, but whatever.
Second Segment:
I'm impressed he was able to get the first cow ghost in one shot! Similarly, nice job nabbing the tooth fairy or whatever shortly after that when the panic was about to expire.
Damn. The funkvac at 3:30 was incredibly satisfying, I must say. There goes about half the world's population.
Throwing the jar upwards at about 5:45 was badass.
At about 6:30+, a little sloppy throwing. He's throwing many of the jars into the wall as he's falling.
Third Segment:
The dive into the water at about 45 seconds looked like a scene from North by Northwest. Nice. And again at 2:35.
Good panic at 1:50.
At 5:15 the runner struggles to nab a few earthlings.
Fourth Segment:
The runner skips picking up a jar containing a baseball kid and must capture him a second time a minute later (I think).
A lot of the hills in the background at 3:30 look like breasts.
Aw, poor Sharla. "Hi Toejam!" *A tumbleweed blows by as the dust trail following Toejam fades into the distance.*
Oopsies at 6:45. But oh well, before that there's Trixie! Trixie kicks ass.
The runner said about this segment, "It was a good five minutes faster than the previous run mostly due to the super jars." In Arrow's defense, and just so everyone knows, this only saved about three minutes on its own, assuming the runner made no improvements to the route or to execution over Arrow's run from Trixie's spot onwards. I timed the difference. But still, good job to the runner for catching this and the many other route improvements so far in this run!
Fifth Segment:
I'm assuming at about 25-30 seconds the runner used the panic in order to make the jump? As, otherwise, there is little reason for it. But, assuming that's why, it was a nice trick.
So, the Funkvac at 1:35 would not have caught the baseball kid? I assume the runner's ultimate decision necessitates this, but if it could have reached the kid, then a couple seconds was wasted jarring him.
Yes, as the runner mentioned, the tactics for the boogeymen and box guy did not work well.
A couple hiccups with the uncooperative cow and the ... stalagtite-shroom around 4:30-4:40. Not a big loss.
The runner was screwed by the autoaim around 5:45. Not a big loss, either, though.
I wonder why the runner did not use the panic a couple seconds earlier on the female tourist. I don't think he lost more than a couple seconds, but at least he'd still have his retinas.
Good funkvac at 7:40. I love watching him get rid of all those annoying earthlings.
Sixth Segment:
Pretty nice non-funkvac strategy at 1:50.
Why did he throw a jar at the tourist at 5:00?
Yikes, two boxmen at 6:30? Yeah, definitely funkvac time!
Haha, nice use of a panic through homestretch meadow. Probably the only place a normal player would never use one.
Too bad the any% ending to this game is such a monumental letdown. And you call that dancing? Lewanda looks like she wants to join a women's self-defense class and Toejam looks like he has 100 itches and can't reach a single one of them.
All in all, the decision here is not a difficult one to make. The run saves roughly a half hour over Arrow's run and reduces the any % record by a third, and 20 minutes of that is due to non-warp related route and execution improvements. While one may make the argument that warp and non-warp runs should be treated as separate categories, the issue is irrelevant here, because the run would have replaced Arrow's even without the warp. Though, the page director may want to make note of the use of the warp in the run, as it reduces the run length by a sixth or seventh.
Anyway, it's a good run. As the runner suggests, the game is horribly random and no run of TJ&2 will ever reach perfection. Still, I imagine this particular runner could improve the run someday, especially considering some of the knowledge he's gained from this effort and will be gaining in his next. But for now, this run is a commendable improvement, and it has my approval.
Accept.
Quote:
I verify that this run is of good quality with no major mistakes and contains no cheating. I hope this is enough information for you as Ive not varified a run before.
Quote:
Verifier: I wrote up some really nice notes for TJ&E2 and then my PC crashed
me: doh
me: I'm guessing if you mentioned your pc crashing
Verifier: basically yeah accept, it's a massive improvement even without the warp and I was always vocal about replacing arrow's run
me: doh
me: I'm guessing if you mentioned your pc crashing
Verifier: basically yeah accept, it's a massive improvement even without the warp and I was always vocal about replacing arrow's run
100% SS
Quote:
Ye olde verification unto Deign’s 100% (best ending), single-segment run of ToeJam & Earl in Panic on Funkotron (with warps). I’ll try to keep my comments short(er)(…ish) this time.
Audio/Video quality: Fine and dandy like sour candy
Evidence of cheating: Again, most of his attempts were done via live streams, so it would have been quite the accomplishment indeed to pull the proverbial wool over his viewers’ eyes.
Stage by stage breakdown:
Level 1: Not much to say here. At this point, Deign had practiced the stage so many times and come up with all sorts of tiny time-savers that I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually performed this stage faster than he did in the segmented run.
Level 5: Everything goes smoothly. Deign completes the first HFZ this time, for reasons that will become apparent shortly. The rest of the level goes fine. Deign makes a detour to run a marathon gauntlet of HFZs (2-4), and then another one at the end of the area (5). This is to activate a secret trick in the game: if you manage to complete all three HFZ stages (each level must be run twice), your character will be granted infinite Super Jars, much like the Trixie reward, except that they carry over from level to level. There are two reasons why this trick is used in the SS run and not the segmented one. First, it takes a lot of time to complete all of the HFZs, time that will easily be offset by eliminating random earthling fights in a SS run, but that probably wouldn’t be offset in a segmented run where individual levels can just be retried until things go perfectly. But more importantly, Deign found that the infinite Super Jars actually go away if you restart with a password, making the trick way too costly for a segmented run (you would have to run the HFZs again in each new segment). The HFZs themselves go perfectly. There’s not a lot of room for error here; you either do them perfectly, or you make a mistake and have to restart the run. He loses a small amount of time in the bubble section, but nothing major (especially for a SS run).
Level 6: A few mistakes in the first area. In the next area, he finishes the final HFZ run and gets his infinite Super Jars, making the rest of the run easy mode. He stops to talk to Smoot so he can collect the first of Lamont’s hidden items. As this is a 100% run, Deign must collect all of Lamont’s favorite things to lure him out of the funk dimension at the end of the run and receive the best ending. One of these items is hidden on every stage from 6-15, tucked away behind an invisible door. Unfortunately, these doors don’t actually exist until you talk to one (or more) of your friends on the level to activate it. Chocolate-covered pickle. Yummy yummy yummy!
Level 7: Near perfect, and I mean that. I doubt even a TAS could save over 10 seconds here. And yeah, having Super Jars makes that big a difference. Deign makes another detour, this time for Lamont’s sneakers, which may seem like one of the more “normal” items in his collection, until you see what Lamont looks like at the end of the run. Sneakers. Yes!
Level 8: A little rough around the edges, but understandable as, even with SJs, this is still one of the hardest levels in the game. I question Deign’s decision to use jars in the area with 8 or so Boogie Men. The Funk-Vac may take a lot of time, but I feel like this is one of the few instances where it still could have been faster than SJs (especially since he ended up getting hit by one of the Boogie Men). Detour to learn the cure for hiccups (blink and you’ll miss it)…as well as the location of Lamont’s third item. The rest of the level goes smoothly. Picture of Uncle Snarf. Say cheese!
Level 9: Another level with lots of small mistakes here and there, but forgivable as this is single segment, not to mention Deign’s least favorite level Getting Lamont’s item on this level probably requires the least extra time, as he already included the Flarney conversation as part of his route in the segmented run. Alexander the house plant. Awwwesome!
Level 10: This level goes extremely well up to the point where he gets possessed by a cow ghost, arguably his single worst mistake in the run. It allows all of the earthlings he had jarred time to escape, and also forces an additional tourist stun. Fortunately, the rest of the level goes fine, including the underwater maze leading to Lamont’s item, where Deign had a problem with the game frequently freezing up for some reason. Eyeball collection. Ouch!
Level 11: Everything went well, just a few tiny mistakes here and there. Ceiling fan. Cool!
Level 12: Another solid level with very few mistakes. There’s another spot on this stage where I would have considered using a FunkVac, but it probably wouldn’t have saved much time, if any. Quackster, the rubber ducky. Smile!
Level 13: Takes a few hits in the boogie man pit (and has to stop for food as a consequence), but near-perfect aside from that. Pet slug, Theodore. Awright!
Level 14: This level was a bit rough. Some bad luck trying to catch a boogie man, lots of tourist stuns, having to chase earthlings around, and getting the character stuck on ledges are the culprits this time. Arguably the worst level in the run, but that’s saying a lot, as it’s still incredibly polished for a SS attempt. Record player. Boogie boogie boogie!
Level 15: A few mistakes, but much better than the last level. Dramatically different route here to account for Lamont’s final item. Lumpy, the lumpy pillow. Woah!
Level 16: The hardest level in the game, and this late in the run, it’s an accomplishment to even make it through alive. That said, Deign did a fine job despite a couple trouble spots. I can only imagine how much pressure he must have felt being almost an hour into his fastest attempt yet.
Level 17: A couple seconds lost with the first fairy, but everything else was flawless.
All in all, a blazing fast single segment run. Six months ago, I wouldn’t have thought that even an any-percent run could be this quick, let alone a 100% run. It's not perfect, and the quality definitely slips the further into the run you get, but for a SS run of this length, of a game this frustratingly random, it would be hard to top the performance seen here. Deign now has a monopoly on the TJ&E2 board that will be hard to usurp.
Decision: I'll let Lamont himself decide...
Accept?
No thanks.
Aww, c’mon.
No.
Please.
No.
Please.
No.
Please.
No.
Please.
No.
Please.
Well......okay.
Audio/Video quality: Fine and dandy like sour candy
Evidence of cheating: Again, most of his attempts were done via live streams, so it would have been quite the accomplishment indeed to pull the proverbial wool over his viewers’ eyes.
Stage by stage breakdown:
Level 1: Not much to say here. At this point, Deign had practiced the stage so many times and come up with all sorts of tiny time-savers that I wouldn’t be surprised if he actually performed this stage faster than he did in the segmented run.
Level 5: Everything goes smoothly. Deign completes the first HFZ this time, for reasons that will become apparent shortly. The rest of the level goes fine. Deign makes a detour to run a marathon gauntlet of HFZs (2-4), and then another one at the end of the area (5). This is to activate a secret trick in the game: if you manage to complete all three HFZ stages (each level must be run twice), your character will be granted infinite Super Jars, much like the Trixie reward, except that they carry over from level to level. There are two reasons why this trick is used in the SS run and not the segmented one. First, it takes a lot of time to complete all of the HFZs, time that will easily be offset by eliminating random earthling fights in a SS run, but that probably wouldn’t be offset in a segmented run where individual levels can just be retried until things go perfectly. But more importantly, Deign found that the infinite Super Jars actually go away if you restart with a password, making the trick way too costly for a segmented run (you would have to run the HFZs again in each new segment). The HFZs themselves go perfectly. There’s not a lot of room for error here; you either do them perfectly, or you make a mistake and have to restart the run. He loses a small amount of time in the bubble section, but nothing major (especially for a SS run).
Level 6: A few mistakes in the first area. In the next area, he finishes the final HFZ run and gets his infinite Super Jars, making the rest of the run easy mode. He stops to talk to Smoot so he can collect the first of Lamont’s hidden items. As this is a 100% run, Deign must collect all of Lamont’s favorite things to lure him out of the funk dimension at the end of the run and receive the best ending. One of these items is hidden on every stage from 6-15, tucked away behind an invisible door. Unfortunately, these doors don’t actually exist until you talk to one (or more) of your friends on the level to activate it. Chocolate-covered pickle. Yummy yummy yummy!
Level 7: Near perfect, and I mean that. I doubt even a TAS could save over 10 seconds here. And yeah, having Super Jars makes that big a difference. Deign makes another detour, this time for Lamont’s sneakers, which may seem like one of the more “normal” items in his collection, until you see what Lamont looks like at the end of the run. Sneakers. Yes!
Level 8: A little rough around the edges, but understandable as, even with SJs, this is still one of the hardest levels in the game. I question Deign’s decision to use jars in the area with 8 or so Boogie Men. The Funk-Vac may take a lot of time, but I feel like this is one of the few instances where it still could have been faster than SJs (especially since he ended up getting hit by one of the Boogie Men). Detour to learn the cure for hiccups (blink and you’ll miss it)…as well as the location of Lamont’s third item. The rest of the level goes smoothly. Picture of Uncle Snarf. Say cheese!
Level 9: Another level with lots of small mistakes here and there, but forgivable as this is single segment, not to mention Deign’s least favorite level
Level 10: This level goes extremely well up to the point where he gets possessed by a cow ghost, arguably his single worst mistake in the run. It allows all of the earthlings he had jarred time to escape, and also forces an additional tourist stun. Fortunately, the rest of the level goes fine, including the underwater maze leading to Lamont’s item, where Deign had a problem with the game frequently freezing up for some reason. Eyeball collection. Ouch!
Level 11: Everything went well, just a few tiny mistakes here and there. Ceiling fan. Cool!
Level 12: Another solid level with very few mistakes. There’s another spot on this stage where I would have considered using a FunkVac, but it probably wouldn’t have saved much time, if any. Quackster, the rubber ducky. Smile!
Level 13: Takes a few hits in the boogie man pit (and has to stop for food as a consequence), but near-perfect aside from that. Pet slug, Theodore. Awright!
Level 14: This level was a bit rough. Some bad luck trying to catch a boogie man, lots of tourist stuns, having to chase earthlings around, and getting the character stuck on ledges are the culprits this time. Arguably the worst level in the run, but that’s saying a lot, as it’s still incredibly polished for a SS attempt. Record player. Boogie boogie boogie!
Level 15: A few mistakes, but much better than the last level. Dramatically different route here to account for Lamont’s final item. Lumpy, the lumpy pillow. Woah!
Level 16: The hardest level in the game, and this late in the run, it’s an accomplishment to even make it through alive. That said, Deign did a fine job despite a couple trouble spots. I can only imagine how much pressure he must have felt being almost an hour into his fastest attempt yet.
Level 17: A couple seconds lost with the first fairy, but everything else was flawless.
All in all, a blazing fast single segment run. Six months ago, I wouldn’t have thought that even an any-percent run could be this quick, let alone a 100% run. It's not perfect, and the quality definitely slips the further into the run you get, but for a SS run of this length, of a game this frustratingly random, it would be hard to top the performance seen here. Deign now has a monopoly on the TJ&E2 board that will be hard to usurp.
Decision: I'll let Lamont himself decide...
Accept?
No thanks.
Aww, c’mon.
No.
Please.
No.
Please.
No.
Please.
No.
Please.
No.
Please.
Well......okay.
Quote:
I verify that this run is of good quality and contains no cheating
Decision: Accept
Reason: One is a massive improvement and the other one is a solid addition to the site.
Thread title:
