Amnesia: The Dark Descent

2013-02-28 10:20:19 am

Finally broke 40 mins (RTA) timing with a proper cistern skip blood thunder! Thanks for the help. Time to set myself a new goal.

The clip was pretty much immediate which is a big chunk of time in the end. I was using shift though so im going to do
some testing as well without using shift because im still averaging 20-25 seconds on the clip. Huge reduction in time but
being able to clip off those extra seconds changes it from a good-great run.

http://www.twitch.tv/kingdime/b/372082577

tekkie

2013-04-06 08:22:15 am

~

i just timed my combined loading times; it's about 6:53 in total. fml

AdamAK

2013-04-06 04:53:42 pm

Totally rad

You think 6:53 is bad? I get 10 min+ easily while streaming. Off stream, I get 7 minutes at least. I can't do splits because my loading times vary too much.

tekkie

2013-04-06 07:25:43 pm

~

i think i can objectively say 7 minutes is really lame

what settings do you use? ive also been having frame drop issues; not sure if resolution actually even matters for xsplit

honorableJay

Edit history:

honorableJay: 2013-04-07 03:04:07 pm

2013-04-07 03:03:08 pm

The Dork Knight himself.

Adam: if your load times are so long why not just pause WSplit during load times?

Btw tekkie OBS now has a gamma control for game capturing if you're lookin for a good reason to drop XSplit.

Sunder

2013-04-07 05:54:58 pm

Jumping into this as well, I just beat Amnesia because speedrunning it looks like a blast so I'm currently learning Any% SS! Can't seem to find many videos of runs that are better than the one Adam has on YouTube (but it's marked Obsolete, so I don't want to start learning strats that aren't as good any more).

Dime

Edit history:

Dime: 2013-04-07 07:32:29 pm

2013-04-07 06:58:15 pm

I could probably put up an amnesia video, my execution isn't quite as good as AdamAK's but it should show off most of the newer tricks such as the improved entrance hall clip through the window, as well as the consistent sewer clip.

The big trick thats missing in this particular video of mine is the choir jump. which I can probably do a highlight.

Just uploading it on youtube atm so i'll link it in here when it's finished.

Important points to note.
-I am almost positive that a perfect study clip saves atleast a few seconds. This is not seen in the video but can be found in Adam's (correct me if im wrong)
-In my split called Kraken 2, you can actually open the valve while moving and crouching towards the gate. Not seen in the video but saves around a second.
-There is a potential to get the cistern skip during the cutscene but it's pretty unreliable.
-Adam's method after the boost in the sewers is faster where you jump around the pillar instead of falling down like I do in the video.
-There is a jump in the choir at the very end where you do that rather than hopping down on the pillar and jumping around like I do. Saves around 5-7 seconds.
-Testing is being done to skip the second laud in Nave 2.
-The jumps I do in the choir and transcept are to get mini boosts off the architecture.
-Most of the random jumping I do in the game does not save time. It's just a habit of mine.

Hoping I hit all of the things I missed in the run. If anyone sees anything wrong, feel free to correct at any point.

I could probably put up an amnesia video, my execution isn't quite as good as AdamAK's but it should show off most of the newer tricks such as the improved entrance hall clip through the window, as well as the consistent sewer clip.

The big trick thats missing in this particular video of mine is the choir jump. which I can probably do a highlight.

Just uploading it on youtube atm so i'll link it in here when it's finished.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zql93CauS7c

Important points to note.
-I am almost positive that a perfect study clip saves atleast a few seconds. This is not seen in the video but can be found in Adam's (correct me if im wrong)
-In my split called Kraken 2, you can actually open the valve while moving and crouching towards the gate. Not seen in the video but saves around a second.
-There is a potential to get the cistern skip during the cutscene but it's pretty unreliable.
-Adam's method after the boost in the sewers is faster where you jump around the pillar instead of falling down like I do in the video.
-There is a jump in the choir at the very end where you do that rather than hopping down on the pillar and jumping around like I do. Saves around 5-7 seconds.
-Testing is being done to skip the second laud in Nave 2. 
-The jumps I do in the choir and transcept are to get mini boosts off the architecture.
-Most of the random jumping I do in the game does not save time. It's just a habit of mine.

Hoping I hit all of the things I missed in the run. If anyone sees anything wrong, feel free to correct at any point.

Sunder

2013-04-07 07:13:02 pm

Thank you! I appreciate the help!

I'm currently just practicing the start up to the Storage to get my bearings on clipping, OoB, and how the game works.

AdamAK

2013-04-07 08:13:32 pm

Totally rad

Sunder, the strats used in the run are actually not obsolete - it's just that the execution is rather poor, and I've done a 2 minute faster run. It's still a good reference for what the route is like.

I think I'll actually start doing WR attempts again soon (off-stream) and will try to record a new, better run than the one I have up on YouTube. I hate myself for not recording the 28:25, because apart from a slow Nave 3, it was a very nice run.

Seeing Lephoque play has kinda motivated me to start running again

Blood Thunder

2013-04-07 09:14:36 pm

Sunder

Edit history:

Sunder: 2013-04-08 02:39:56 am

2013-04-08 12:41:40 am

Adam: Oh ok, see I've watched a few of your Amnesia streams and I wasn't sure if that route was the same as the one you use now, so I wasn't too keen on learning it if I would have to unlearn it later.

Dime: Thank you so much for the video! I'll be using yours and Adam's as reference while I learn.

I found a mention of a wiki for Amnesia routes a few pages back but it seems that most of the pages are empty, is it still in progress? (thanks for your ongoing help btw, I am new to this and I appreciate all of your patience >_<)

So far the Rubble Boosting seems to be giving me the most trouble. I got the Nave-to-Choir-Entrance shovel trick first try though! :0

AdamAK

2013-04-08 06:12:44 am

Totally rad

Blood Thunder, if you look a few pages back, that route was already shown in a video by me back in June last year. :p
The Morgue OOB route isn't really quicker unless you pull it off perfectly, and even then it hardly saves any time. This time saved is comparable to that of the Study OOB route and just isn't worth it in an SS run, imo.

Blood Thunder

2013-04-08 06:21:00 am

Yes, i've seen your method, but the way you posted is slower, and the spot where you clipped inbounds is much more inconsitent. Study oob actually waste time in a SS run unless you get very lucky.

AdamAK

2013-04-08 06:29:06 am

Totally rad

Yeah, the video wasn't perfected back then (as I simply recorded my first attempts at the route rather than after some practice), but still the trick is kinda unreliable. In an SS run, it's unlikely to save much time, unless all the boosts and clips go well right away.

Blood Thunder

2013-04-08 06:42:56 am

None of the clips/boost are difficult by any means, and I've timed this route vs an inbounds route quite a bit before I even thought about doing it in a SS attempt. It saves more time then you would think just watching. The only way to really lose time out of this route is if your load times are relatively short, then you keep the flashback going into the morgue which prevents you from clipping oob, so someone with longer load times like yourself would benefit more from this route.

Dime

2013-04-08 07:04:41 am

I have extremely good load times, so the flashback tends to last forever!!

Blood Thunder

Edit history:

Blood Thunder: 2013-04-08 07:13:13 am

2013-04-08 07:12:42 am

Quote from Dime:

I have extremely good load times, so the flashback tends to last forever!!

That's why I really despise the timing for this game, we cut out the load times (for serious runs) but since the flashbacks play through the loading screens, it's better to play with much longer load times as they'll be taken out anyways. Anyone with halfway decent load times either has to just wait for flashbacks to end or find ways to avoid them while those with longer ones can just let flashbacks play out while they load.

AdamAK

2013-04-08 08:20:31 am

Totally rad

You don't have to cancel the loading screens right away. You can just stay in them until the appropriate line of the flashback finishes. Good loading times are still nicer to have than horribly long ones, and they don't screw with timing at all.

Blood Thunder

2013-04-08 08:33:33 am

That's true, but once you start saying that you can just wait in the loading screen it starts to open up to other possibilities. I could decide I want to go get a drink or even take a quick nap and just leave the load screen up, sure it won't be a good Real-Time run but it could be a wr without loads

AdamAK

2013-04-08 08:39:10 am

Totally rad

Eh, you have zero reasons to do that, though. Technically, it would be allowed, sure, but I'd figure a good runner would also want to make a good-to-watch speed run rather than abuse technicalities.

Blood Thunder

Edit history:

Blood Thunder: 2013-04-08 09:00:17 am

2013-04-08 08:54:47 am

Quote:

but I'd figure a good runner would also want to make a good-to-watch speed run rather than abuse technicalities.

That's why I don't wait for flashbacks to play out during loading screens as it is, I get out of the loading screens as quickly as I can and continue actually playing rather than waiting around. If a run was submitted to sda those loading screens would just be cut out anyways so, if I did decide to step away for a bit, then it wouldn't impact the good-to-watch value of the run at all. Not trying to start a full on debate with you Adam, just pointing out my hatred of flashbacks and loading screens >:3

AdamAK

2013-04-08 09:27:09 am

Totally rad

I don't think loading screens would have to be cut out of the run - they're just not counted towards the final time. I think it's fair for Amnesia runners to let the flashback line play out during the loading screen, as it puts all of us on the same level (i.e., no time loss due to having quicker loading times).

And yeah, I hate flashbacks and loading screens as well, haha. If only the former could be skipped altogether...!

Blood Thunder

2013-04-08 10:28:39 am

They don't necessarily need to be cut out, but it makes the video altogether more entertaining to watch and helps with the timing overall as well. I'm all for letting flashbacks finish during loading screens, but it's really a community wide decision that would need to be made, as it would save time in quite a few different areas over the runs that have already been completed.

Currently that would be affected:
Machine Room
Prison South
Morgue
Cistern
Nave 3

Dime

2013-04-08 10:34:40 am

I should probably look into it as im pretty sure my load times are sub 4 minutes making it a much more significant factor in my final time. It will only be relevant if im closing in 28 minute runs but never hurts to check early!

This brings up the topic that I need to start timing where exactly my run stands because the load times throw it off so much. Is SDA timing simply cutting out all of the loading screens off the final time?

LePhoque

2013-04-08 10:42:44 am

Nice to see some discussion in this forum! I have mixed feelings about the flashbacks during loading times, but I agree that the community should come to a consensus on the topic for timed runs.

On a sidenote, Blood and I have found a method to skip the shovel trick altogether, we will be testing it extensively soon to see just how much time it saves. Also, I found a new trick to skip the Nave 3 clip. I can make a highlight of it if anybody wants to see it, but unfortunately it is harder and slower than the current method.

King, timing runs kinda sucks. Currently, you subtract out the time from the frame where you hear the door click to the first non-black frame of the next room. There are certain spots like the elevator and choir death where you subtract the time from the moment you lose control of Daniel to the first non-black frame.