Final Fantasy IV: The After Years

2009-10-26 08:31:55 pm

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

Quote from slowbro:

Holy #$__>?<!?! Nice!

(forgive my foul language)

edit: Sorry to say I haven't been working on this at all. I've barely ever started up my Wii lately Sad

Don't apologize for foul language, please. I've got a corner on the market.
And yes... Katamari Forever, was it? I don't have a PS3 so I can't relate to that one Lips Sealed

Quote from TimeSpaceMage:

Actually it worked out, because my friend got wi-fi too! X)
Now I have all but the last 2 chapters, and just finished a normal playthrough of Rydia's. I have learned to hate those snakes after wiping several times to them (one was a back attack on the new moon, and another where they paralyzed my party).

I'm happy you got another chance to play.
The snakes you speak of... are you talking about the ones in the Sealed Cave that always show up with the Cave Nagas? Those things suck if you're under-leveled... I know exactly what you're talking about. I manipulated to avoid them entirely. Rydia's Tale seems to be notorious for requiring more level grinding than the others (except maybe Palom's) even in a normal playthrough.

[quote="slowbro"]
Holy #$__>?<!?!  Nice!

(forgive my foul language)

edit: Sorry to say I haven't been working on this at all.  I've barely ever started up my Wii lately  :(
[/quote]

Don't apologize for foul language, please. I've got a corner on the market.
And yes... Katamari Forever, was it? I don't have a PS3 so I can't relate to that one  :-X

[quote="TimeSpaceMage"]
Actually it worked out, because my friend got wi-fi too! X)
Now I have all but the last 2 chapters, and just finished a normal playthrough of Rydia's. I have learned to hate those snakes after wiping several times to them (one was a back attack on the new moon, and another where they paralyzed my party).
[/quote]
I'm happy you got another chance to play.
The snakes you speak of... are you talking about the ones in the Sealed Cave that always show up with the Cave Nagas? Those things suck if you're under-leveled... I know exactly what you're talking about. I manipulated to avoid them entirely. Rydia's Tale seems to be notorious for requiring more level grinding than the others (except maybe Palom's) even in a normal playthrough.

messenger

2009-10-28 05:34:43 pm

So I managed to get a test run in.

You guys are right about the whole first turn being a waste thing. Turns out you can do just about any action and still kill the belphemjors in two turns each, including waiting until after the first tornado to use a potion. This makes it so you can get in four attacks before they can attack tornado attack again. Hooray!

I have some other ideas on how to make a single segment seconds longer but not as luck reliant, so maybe I will be able to produce a run at some point. I just have to y'know get offa muh rear.

In other news, I need to play the other stories as I have not yet, and hopefully I haven't spoiled myself too much from this thread. The only thing I peeked at is some of the lunarian stuff (ie fusoya and other guy casting nukes and stuff).

thri11ki11

2009-10-28 05:53:09 pm

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

I'm glad that the Belphegor information was of assistance to you, messenger. I'm sure you'll produce a fine single segment run that will make us all proud Smiley

I just finished an unrecorded 12-segment test run of Yang's tale, using a couple of new strategies. I managed 0:33 (2 minutes off my best time). I've recorded the first half, up until the forest, and it's just about perfect; I could only improve it by about 3 seconds total if I wanted to go back and do so, but I'll only do that if I'm a second or two away from slicing another minute and I can't better a later segment. As for the last 3 segments (to Adamantoise, fighting Adamantoise, and from Adamantoise) I took my time and made a lot of minor mistakes because I just wanted to see if I could get through with only 3 Hi-Potions, which I managed to do. Polishing it up may net me 0:32 overall, though if I'm a high 0:33 it may just make for a better looking 0:33.

thri11ki11

2009-11-07 10:39:48 am

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

Finally, success!

I actually managed to get Yang's Tale down to 0:30 and 57 seconds. It's a 12 segment run. I was stuck at 0:31 and 7 seconds but I wouldn't settle for that, so I found a way to shave off the extra time by skipping a Hi-Potion at the beginning of the game. That meant I had to do the entire thing over again, finding a way to get through the Mom Bomb with enough energy to make it down Mt. Hobs, through the Crater, and back to Fabul without healing. It CAN be done. Of course you may say I could buy potions from the merchant, or grab the one on the way in the Crater, but I have to save those for Kain and Adamantoise (I take 4 Hi-Potions to get through Kain, and 3 for Adamantoise). I buy 6 Hi-Potions from the merchant on Mt. Hobs and pick up one in the crater so I don't have to talk to anyone on the ship before the forest. It's pretty sad that I had to redo the whole run for 7 seconds, but I improved it in other ways by just getting segments with better execution.

I think I may put it up on youtube. I'll post a link when I have it.

Finally, success!

I actually managed to get Yang's Tale down to 0:30 and 57 seconds. It's a 12 segment run. I was stuck at 0:31 and 7 seconds but I wouldn't settle for that, so I found a way to shave off the extra time by skipping a Hi-Potion at the beginning of the game. That meant I had to do the entire thing over again, finding a way to get through the Mom Bomb with enough energy to make it down Mt. Hobs, through the Crater, and back to Fabul without healing. It CAN be done. Of course you may say I could buy potions from the merchant, or grab the one on the way in the Crater, but I have to save those for Kain and Adamantoise (I take 4 Hi-Potions to get through Kain, and 3 for Adamantoise). I buy 6 Hi-Potions from the merchant on Mt. Hobs and pick up one in the crater so I don't have to talk to anyone on the ship before the forest. It's pretty sad that I had to redo the whole run for 7 seconds, but I improved it in other ways by just getting segments with better execution.

I think I may put it up on youtube. I'll post a link when I have it.

Sir VG

2009-11-07 10:51:50 am

Fucking Weeaboo

Well, there is a high potion right after the Mombomb fight in that chest. Oh well.

thri11ki11

Edit history:

thri11ki11: 2009-11-07 04:40:32 pm

2009-11-07 02:12:21 pm

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

Quote from Lord_VG:

Well, there is a high potion right after the Mombomb fight in that chest. Oh well.

Yeah, but that's too far out of the way! Tongue

It's good advice. The potion is only a few extra steps and it would have shifted some stress away from having to have the perfect Mom Bomb fight.

Seriously, I didn't want to take a single extra step unless I absolutely HAD to; I wanted to ensure that I wouldn't get to the end of the last segment and see that evil 0:31 staring back at me on the final save. I had three seconds to spare on my 0:30. If I had gone over, gotten the Hi-Potion and used it that would have put me right at the margin.

Here's the link to the first 4 segments of the run:

...And segments 5-8:

...Segments 9 & 10:

...And the last 2 segments are here.

thri11ki11

2009-11-10 12:38:42 pm

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

Palom's Tale:

This is the most irritating tale to run, in my opinion; even moreso than Rydia's due to the fact that you have to level and there aren't really any great places to do it (that I've found). Rydia has Blood Flowers; four sets of those and I was good to go for the rest of the run.

For Palom, my strategy involves manipulating Bomb x 3 fights on the 4th floor of the Tower of Trials, saving and repeating. I go until I get Palom to Level 19 (Leonora ends up at Level 15) for two reasons: a) I get Warp to get out of the tower more quickly, and b) Palom's Speed allows for faster flee times from the monsters under Troia and in the Lodestone Cave. I level Leonora evenly (instead of killing her off and giving Palom all the xp) because I need her healing prowess in the fight against Dark Elf.

So I've gotten to the 6th floor with all leveling done and I'm at 0:18. Comparing this to my old time, I'm on track to finishing 4-5 minutes faster, going from 0:43 to 0:39 or 0:38. I would be ecstatic to get to 0:35 or so, but I have no idea how I'll do that with encounter manipulation alone; I may have to rethink a strategy somewhere.

Palom's Tale:

This is the most irritating tale to run, in my opinion; even moreso than Rydia's due to the fact that you have to level and there aren't really any great places to do it (that I've found). Rydia has Blood Flowers; four sets of those and I was good to go for the rest of the run.

For Palom, my strategy involves manipulating Bomb x 3 fights on the 4th floor of the Tower of Trials, saving and repeating. I go until I get Palom to Level 19 (Leonora ends up at Level 15) for two reasons: a) I get Warp to get out of the tower more quickly, and b) Palom's Speed allows for faster flee times from the monsters under Troia and in the Lodestone Cave. I level Leonora evenly (instead of killing her off and giving Palom all the xp) because I need her healing prowess in the fight against Dark Elf.

So I've gotten to the 6th floor with all leveling done and I'm at 0:18. Comparing this to my old time, I'm on track to finishing 4-5 minutes faster, going from 0:43 to 0:39 or 0:38. I would be ecstatic to get to 0:35 or so, but I have no idea how I'll do that with encounter manipulation alone; I may have to rethink a strategy somewhere.

slowbro

2009-11-11 01:09:02 am

Your progress sounds exciting! (both in Palom's and Yang's chapters). It really does.

Dare I ask how many grinding segments you ended up with in Palom's? If you're only fighting one Bomb x3 fight per segment, I've got to imagine it took a lot of them. (I am not saying there's anything wrong with a lot of segments.)

thri11ki11

2009-11-11 04:57:00 am

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

Quote from slowbro:

Your progress sounds exciting! (both in Palom's and Yang's chapters). It really does.

Dare I ask how many grinding segments you ended up with in Palom's? If you're only fighting one Bomb x3 fight per segment, I've got to imagine it took a lot of them. (I am not saying there's anything wrong with a lot of segments.)

Well, I started grinding in segment 6, and I moved on in segment 26, so that's an even 20. That's not how many fights it took, though; in segment 26 I fight a Cockatrice x 2 Gargoyle fight on the way up to 6th Floor, and in segment 27 I get a Bomb x 8 fight (a cool thousand). The reason I didn't manipulate Bomb x 8 fights is because they only occur on the 7th floor (requiring me to run back and forth to the save spot on floor 6, which screws up Warp and takes a long time), making it not worth the time it takes to get one. As is, my segments 6-25 are less than 17 seconds each with the exception of the segment that I run ahead a bit to regain magic points by fighting the Mini Blues on 4th floor and the Lightning Dummy on 5th.

[quote="slowbro"]
Your progress sounds exciting!  (both in Palom's and Yang's chapters).  It really does.

Dare I ask how many grinding segments you ended up with in Palom's?  If you're only fighting one Bomb x3 fight per segment, I've got to imagine it took a lot of them.  (I am not saying there's anything wrong with a lot of segments.)
[/quote]

Well, I started grinding in segment 6, and I moved on in segment 26, so that's an even 20. That's not how many fights it took, though; in segment 26 I fight a Cockatrice x 2 Gargoyle fight on the way up to 6th Floor, and in segment 27 I get a Bomb x 8 fight (a cool thousand). The reason I didn't manipulate Bomb x 8 fights is because they only occur on the 7th floor (requiring me to run back and forth to the save spot on floor 6, which screws up Warp and takes a long time), making it not worth the time it takes to get one. As is, my segments 6-25 are less than 17 seconds each with the exception of the segment that I run ahead a bit to regain magic points by fighting the Mini Blues on 4th floor and the Lightning Dummy on 5th.

Sir VG

2009-11-11 05:41:34 am

Fucking Weeaboo

I'm also still trying out some SS runs of The Lunarians' Story, but I'm just running into some bad luck at Bahamut's lair. Fusoya keeps getting knocked off. ^^;; I'll get something worked out, it's just taking a few attempts.

thri11ki11

2009-11-11 08:30:49 am

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

Quote from Lord_VG:

I'm also still trying out some SS runs of The Lunarians' Story, but I'm just running into some bad luck at Bahamut's lair. Fusoya keeps getting knocked off. ^^;; I'll get something worked out, it's just taking a few attempts.

Yes, your SS that was on youtube was excellent; it's hard to count on anything in that tale because EVERYTHING can kill you, or at least put a hurting on you. Are you still going after the Mysterious Girl first? If you have an easy time with her maybe you should go back to killing the Malboros first again? Just throwing it out there... that may not be possible with the way you work the moon phases...

Sir VG

2009-11-11 11:20:55 am

Fucking Weeaboo

Yeah, Mysterious Girl is first with the way I'm playing it right now. I love how no matter what phase I work in (I've done this in Waning and New Moon), the first battle in Bahamut's Lair is a back attack from Chimera. Yeah, I love you too, game.

thri11ki11

2009-11-11 12:49:52 pm

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

Quote from Lord_VG:

first battle in Bahamut's Lair is a back attack from Chimera.

I don't know if it will save time, but something to try:

Count how many steps it takes to run into the Chimera from the door of the cave. If it's a smallish number, then try running back and forth in front of the door to the cave until right before you're going to run into the battle, then ducking out of the cave, taking a step away from the cave (or maybe not even doing that), then going back in. Sometimes this will get rid of the fight in question, sometimes you'll run into a fight outside instead, and sometimes it won't do jack shit. It may seem like a waste of time, but it may actually be faster than dealing with the double Chimera.

thri11ki11

Edit history:

thri11ki11: 2009-11-13 11:53:45 am

2009-11-13 07:47:07 am

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

I've decided to post my Main Quest run. It's 20 segments and the time is 1:09. I've already submitted it but any questions/comments/suggestions are welcome! In fact, they're more than welcome because I love this game and if I can make this better I would jump at the chance.

Here's Prologue, Segments 1, 2, and 3 (9:04.477) Introduction - Just before getting on the Airship to return to Baron

Here's Prologue, Segments 4 and 5A (6:21.314) - From the Baron Airship to the Prologue End, just after Rosa joins the party

Here's Ceodore's Tale, Segment 5B (9:22.562) - From the three battles in Baron to the Hooded Man's arrival

Here's Ceodore's Tale, Segments 6, 7, and 8 (8:26.272) - From Mysidia to inside Mist Cave

Here's Ceodore's Tale, Segments 9 and 10 and Kain's Tale, Segments 11 and 12 (8:23.236) - From the Tunneler to the Devil's Road

Here's Kain's Tale, Segments 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 (9:25.298) - Devil's Road to the Underground Waterway

Here's Kain's Tale, Segments 18, 19 and 20A (9:42.082) - Underground Waterway to the Final Fight

And here's Kain's Tale, Segment 20B (9:07.647) - End and Credits

Thanks for watching!

I've decided to post my Main Quest run. It's 20 segments and the time is 1:09. I've already submitted it but any questions/comments/suggestions are welcome! In fact, they're more than welcome because I love this game and if I can make this better I would jump at the chance.

Here's Prologue, Segments 1, 2, and 3 (9:04.477) Introduction - Just before getting on the Airship to return to Baron
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpuYytSBfaI

Here's Prologue, Segments 4 and 5A (6:21.314) - From the Baron Airship to the Prologue End, just after Rosa joins the party
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFHeHNxTNB0

Here's Ceodore's Tale, Segment 5B (9:22.562) - From the three battles in Baron to the Hooded Man's arrival
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYvueTp9o5g

Here's Ceodore's Tale, Segments 6, 7, and 8 (8:26.272) - From Mysidia to inside Mist Cave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjWBbIrP7qA

Here's Ceodore's Tale, Segments 9 and 10 and Kain's Tale, Segments 11 and 12 (8:23.236) - From the Tunneler to the Devil's Road
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWudYb_jN3g

Here's Kain's Tale, Segments 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 (9:25.298) - Devil's Road to the Underground Waterway
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHE5XX9B4XU

Here's Kain's Tale, Segments 18, 19 and 20A (9:42.082) - Underground Waterway to the Final Fight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQnLflV8OiY

And here's Kain's Tale, Segment 20B (9:07.647) - End and Credits
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xr8_7qS9nm0

Thanks for watching!

thri11ki11

2009-11-14 09:58:11 am

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

Oh well, I figure while I'm at it I'll post my Rydia's Tale 0:36 (12 segment) run. Once again, questions/comments/suggestions are more than welcome.

I'm currently working on redoing my Palom's Tale run to get it under 0:40, so I'm going to start posting that as well even though it's not complete. That way maybe I can get some feedback that will help me lower the time on it. I haven't put much stuff up on youtube before, but I figure I should take advantage of it so that when I submit my runs for verification I can ensure that they're as good as they can be. I'm finishing up posting my Rydia run and probably tomorrow I'll start posting the Palom run.

Rydia's Tale, Segments 1-3 (9:19.826) To outside Tomra

Rydia's Tale, Segments 4-8 (9:43.083) To Sealed Cave after Demon Wall

Rydia's Tale, Segments 9-11 (10:16.649) To Agart after Agart Turtle

Rydia's Tale, Segment 12 (7:38.024) To the end (not processed as of this post)

Oh well, I figure while I'm at it I'll post my Rydia's Tale 0:36 (12 segment) run.  Once again, questions/comments/suggestions are more than welcome.

I'm currently working on redoing my Palom's Tale run to get it under 0:40, so I'm going to start posting that as well even though it's not complete. That way maybe I can get some feedback that will help me lower the time on it. I haven't put much stuff up on youtube before, but I figure I should take advantage of it so that when I submit my runs for verification I can ensure that they're as good as they can be. I'm finishing up posting my Rydia run and probably tomorrow I'll start posting the Palom run.

Rydia's Tale, Segments 1-3 (9:19.826) To outside Tomra
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5wHDDcI9ZA

Rydia's Tale, Segments 4-8 (9:43.083) To Sealed Cave after Demon Wall
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4Ma-upKsBs

Rydia's Tale, Segments 9-11 (10:16.649) To Agart after Agart Turtle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9vV_buo39I

Rydia's Tale, Segment 12 (7:38.024) To the end (not processed as of this post)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5rOnENbb6o

thri11ki11

Edit history:

thri11ki11: 2009-11-15 02:53:21 pm

2009-11-15 12:42:19 pm

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

As I mentioned, I'm working on Palom's Tale sub 0:40:

Here's the first 5 segments:

*edit*
Some comments for this video:

Segment 1: Introduction (0:00-3:24) Nothing going on here, just button mashing.

Segment 2: To Troia (3:24-4:56) I put Fira in the top spell slot because it's pretty much all I use for spells.

Segment 3: To the Tower of Trials (4:56-5:25) I take off all of Palom's equipment except for his Gaia Gear and give it to Leonora for added defense and boosted Intellect for her trials. The Ice Rod and the Wizard's Hat gives a total of +6. I think this was slowbro's contribution, so thanks be to the slow one.

Segment 4: The Fire Dummy (5:25-8:17) I only run into two random encounters, one of which I fight for 514 Exp. Leonora levels and learns Libra. Joy.

Segment 5: The Ice Dummy (8:17-9:49) Leonora gains another level against the Mini Reds and I don't run into any random encounters, making it to floor 4. The Mini Reds don't die with one Fire spell unless I have the Ice Rod and Wizard's Hat on, so this is where one can see the benefit of the equipment swap earlier.

Comments on any of this? Is there anything I could do to get to where I'm going faster or any strategy that could be improved so far?

The next upload will be my level grinding, so it'll be mostly boring, but it's a significant factor in the speedrun.

As I mentioned, I'm working on Palom's Tale sub 0:40:

Here's the first 5 segments:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQykG2F13LM

*edit*
Some comments for this video:

Segment 1: Introduction (0:00-3:24) Nothing going on here, just button mashing.

Segment 2: To Troia (3:24-4:56) I put Fira in the top spell slot because it's pretty much all I use for spells.

Segment 3: To the Tower of Trials (4:56-5:25) I take off all of Palom's equipment except for his Gaia Gear and give it to Leonora for added defense and boosted Intellect for her trials. The Ice Rod and the Wizard's Hat gives a total of +6. I think this was slowbro's contribution, so thanks be to the slow one.

Segment 4: The Fire Dummy (5:25-8:17) I only run into two random encounters, one of which I fight for 514 Exp. Leonora levels and learns Libra. Joy.

Segment 5: The Ice Dummy (8:17-9:49) Leonora gains another level against the Mini Reds and I don't run into any random encounters, making it to floor 4. The Mini Reds don't die with one Fire spell unless I have the Ice Rod and Wizard's Hat on, so this is where one can see the benefit of the equipment swap earlier.

Comments on any of this? Is there anything I could do to get to where I'm going faster or any strategy that could be improved so far?

The next upload will be my level grinding, so it'll be mostly boring, but it's a significant factor in the speedrun.

thri11ki11

2009-11-15 04:42:26 pm

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

Here's segments 6-26 of Palom's Tale:

Comments: Most of these segments are just Bomb x 3 encounters, manipulated to occur one step away from the save spot. This was the fastest way that I could find to level my characters. I get Palom to Level 19 to get Warp and Leonora gets to Level 15. There are several reasons for my choices here:
a) Leonora is an invaluable healer in the Dark Elf fight and must be boosted to a level where she can withstand a decent amount of spellcasting damage.
b) Palom needs to be at least Level 18 for the party to efficiently run away from the monsters under Troia and in the Lodestone Cave.
c) It is faster to get to Level 19 and Warp down the tower than it is to get to Level 18 and run down.

Segment 6 (0:00-0:17): +541 Exp, Leonora Level 7
Segment 7 (0:17-0:35): +541 Exp, Palom Level 14, Leonora Level 8, learned Sight
Segment 8 (0:35-0:52): +541 Exp, Leonora Level 9
Segment 9 (0:52-1:11): +541 Exp, Cure Leonora
Segment 10 (1:11-1:28): +541 Exp, Palom Level 15, Leonora Level 10
Segment 11 (1:28-1:45): +541 Exp
Segment 12 (1:45-2:03): +541 Exp, Leonora Level 11, learned Hold
Segment 13 (2:03-2:22): +541 Exp, Cure Leonora, Palom Level 16
Segment 14 (2:22-2:40): +541 Exp
Segment 15 (2:40-2:57): +541 Exp, Leonora Level 12, learned Cura
Segment 16 (2:57-3:14): +541 Exp
Segment 17 (3:14-5:07): I have officially run out of Palom's magic points. Instead of running back down a floor and using the jar, or having spent time grabbing chests with Ethers, I run forward a bit and fight the Mini Blues with Leonora, then take care of the Thunder Doll. The story segment there replenishes all hit points and magic points. Plus, I run into another Bomb x 3 encounter on the way back to the save spot. +600 Exp Leonora, +541 Exp, Leonora Level 13, learned Slow
Segment 18 (5:07-5:25): +541 Exp, Palom Level 17
Segment 19 (5:25-5:41): +541 Exp
Segment 20 (5:41-5:57): +541 Exp, Leonora Level 14
Segment 21 (5:57-6:12): +541 Exp
Segment 22 (6:12-6:28): +541 Exp, Palom Level 18
Segment 23 (6:28-6:44): +541 Exp
Segment 24 (6:44-7:00): +541 Exp, Leonora Level 15, learned Poison
Segment 25 (7:00-7:16): +541 Exp
Segment 26 (7:16-8:14): I grab the Healing Staff and the Sage's Miter so that after the Tower of Trials I can optimize Leonora and it will remove the Ice Rod and the Wizard's Hat in order for Palom to equip them; it's faster to optimize than to specifically de-equip each object. I fight two Cockatrice and a Gargoyle on the way up for 432 Exp, which puts me just over 1000 away from Palom getting to Level 19 and getting Warp. It's not until Segment 27 that this happens. Only one other random battle there.

I finished Segment 27 this morning, but it will be a bit before I have enough to post. I'm thinking I'll probably get through to the Lodestone Cave (Segment 31) before posting. The segments may look like this:

Segment 27: Tower of Trials 6F - Outside Tower of Trials *complete
Segment 28: Outside Tower of Trials - Underneath Troia 1st Save
Segment 29: Underneath Troia 1st Save - Underneath Troia 2nd Save
Segment 30: Underneath Troia 2nd Save - Outside Troia
Segment 31: Outside Troia - Lodestone Cave 1st Save
Segment 32: Lodestone Cave 1st Save - Lodestone Cave before Dark Elf
Segment 33: Lodestone Cave before Dark Elf - Lodestone Cave before Mysterious Girl
Segment 34: Lodestone Cave before Mysterious Girl - End of Palom's Tale

Don't know how long this will take, though. Probably looking at Tuesday or Wednesday before I'm ready to post more.

Here's segments 6-26 of Palom's Tale:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1g7Gtt5mseE

Comments: Most of these segments are just Bomb x 3 encounters, manipulated to occur one step away from the save spot. This was the fastest way that I could find to level my characters. I get Palom to Level 19 to get Warp and Leonora gets to Level 15. There are several reasons for my choices here:
a) Leonora is an invaluable healer in the Dark Elf fight and must be boosted to a level where she can withstand a decent amount of spellcasting damage.
b) Palom needs to be at least Level 18 for the party to efficiently run away from the monsters under Troia and in the Lodestone Cave.
c) It is faster to get to Level 19 and Warp down the tower than it is to get to Level 18 and run down.

Segment 6 (0:00-0:17): +541 Exp, Leonora Level 7
Segment 7 (0:17-0:35): +541 Exp, Palom Level 14, Leonora Level 8, learned Sight
Segment 8 (0:35-0:52): +541 Exp, Leonora Level 9
Segment 9 (0:52-1:11): +541 Exp, Cure Leonora
Segment 10 (1:11-1:28): +541 Exp, Palom Level 15, Leonora Level 10
Segment 11 (1:28-1:45): +541 Exp
Segment 12 (1:45-2:03): +541 Exp, Leonora Level 11, learned Hold
Segment 13 (2:03-2:22): +541 Exp, Cure Leonora, Palom Level 16
Segment 14 (2:22-2:40): +541 Exp
Segment 15 (2:40-2:57): +541 Exp, Leonora Level 12, learned Cura
Segment 16 (2:57-3:14): +541 Exp
Segment 17 (3:14-5:07): I have officially run out of Palom's magic points. Instead of running back down a floor and using the jar, or having spent time grabbing chests with Ethers, I run forward a bit and fight the Mini Blues with Leonora, then take care of the Thunder Doll. The story segment there replenishes all hit points and magic points. Plus, I run into another Bomb x 3 encounter on the way back to the save spot. +600 Exp Leonora, +541 Exp, Leonora Level 13, learned Slow
Segment 18 (5:07-5:25): +541 Exp, Palom Level 17
Segment 19 (5:25-5:41): +541 Exp
Segment 20 (5:41-5:57): +541 Exp, Leonora Level 14
Segment 21 (5:57-6:12): +541 Exp
Segment 22 (6:12-6:28): +541 Exp, Palom Level 18
Segment 23 (6:28-6:44): +541 Exp
Segment 24 (6:44-7:00): +541 Exp, Leonora Level 15, learned Poison
Segment 25 (7:00-7:16): +541 Exp
Segment 26 (7:16-8:14): I grab the Healing Staff and the Sage's Miter so that after the Tower of Trials I can optimize Leonora and it will remove the Ice Rod and the Wizard's Hat in order for Palom to equip them; it's faster to optimize than to specifically de-equip each object. I fight two Cockatrice and a Gargoyle on the way up for 432 Exp, which puts me just over 1000 away from Palom getting to Level 19 and getting Warp. It's not until Segment 27 that this happens. Only one other random battle there.

I finished Segment 27 this morning, but it will be a bit before I have enough to post. I'm thinking I'll probably get through to the Lodestone Cave (Segment 31) before posting. The segments may look like this:

Segment 27: Tower of Trials 6F - Outside Tower of Trials *complete
Segment 28: Outside Tower of Trials - Underneath Troia 1st Save
Segment 29: Underneath Troia 1st Save - Underneath Troia 2nd Save
Segment 30: Underneath Troia 2nd Save - Outside Troia
Segment 31: Outside Troia - Lodestone Cave 1st Save
Segment 32: Lodestone Cave 1st Save - Lodestone Cave before Dark Elf
Segment 33: Lodestone Cave before Dark Elf - Lodestone Cave before Mysterious Girl
Segment 34: Lodestone Cave before Mysterious Girl - End of Palom's Tale

Don't know how long this will take, though. Probably looking at Tuesday or Wednesday before I'm ready to post more.

DoubleThink

2009-11-15 08:09:03 pm

There's a word for that

Hi, been keeping sort of half-an-eye on this thread (haven't played TAY but it's not exactly dissimilar stuff). Just finished watching the last vid, how many resets did it take on average to get the right encounter and in one step? Not commenting on skill or anything here but it seems like it can't have been too hard, based on how quickly you got ~20 of them done.

thri11ki11

2009-11-16 05:27:27 am

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

It's not hard at all. The random number generator is weak and goofy in this game. It doesn't work everywhere, but there are times that you can predict combats/encounters by the step based on several factors. The reason it's a bit challenging is because they DO vary based on whether you walk or run, what the timer says, what equipment your characters are wearing and what level they're at, etc.

The key is to find a combat that suits you and try to replicate it, and if you can, you can repeat it until something changes. As I leveled I had to change my strategy for getting that combat to appear. In some cases it was something like:

hard reboot the game, run from six encounters, walk 68 steps, soft reboot the game, continue.

In other cases it could be:

hard reboot, run from two combats, fight one combat, run from three combats, soft reboot the game, take 73 steps, soft reboot, continue.

There were times where I thought I'd never get that fight to appear easily and reliably in that area again, and then I'd stumble onto it. Sometimes you have to have your DVD recorder going so you can go back and watch the exact sequence of events that leads to something and try to replicate it, and even sometimes that doesn't work.

So to answer your question, it wasn't very hard. It just had to be figured out and it consumed a little bit of time getting it just right. And you can comment on my skill or lack thereof all you want, I'm not made of glass. Smiley

It's not hard at all. The random number generator is weak and goofy in this game. It doesn't work everywhere, but there are times that you can predict combats/encounters by the step based on several factors. The reason it's a bit challenging is because they DO vary based on whether you walk or run, what the timer says, what equipment your characters are wearing and what level they're at, etc.

The key is to find a combat that suits you and try to replicate it, and if you can, you can repeat it until something changes. As I leveled I had to change my strategy for getting that combat to appear. In some cases it was something like:

hard reboot the game, run from six encounters, walk 68 steps, soft reboot the game, continue.

In other cases it could be:

hard reboot, run from two combats, fight one combat, run from three combats, soft reboot the game, take 73 steps, soft reboot, continue.

There were times where I thought I'd never get that fight to appear easily and reliably in that area again, and then I'd stumble onto it. Sometimes you have to have your DVD recorder going so you can go back and watch the exact sequence of events that leads to something and try to replicate it, and even sometimes that doesn't work.

So to answer your question, it wasn't very hard. It just had to be figured out and it consumed a little bit of time getting it just right. And you can comment on my skill or lack thereof all you want, I'm not made of glass. :)

DoubleThink

2009-11-16 07:04:25 am

There's a word for that

Quote from thri11ki11:

And you can comment on my skill or lack thereof all you want, I'm not made of glass. Smiley

S'cool, I just didn't want to understate something that could have potentially been a pain in the butt. Thanks for the explanation.

thri11ki11

2009-11-17 12:08:20 pm

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

Looks like it will be Palom 0:38. On a test run, without recording the last two segments, I ended up with 0:39 and Lord VG's magic 10 seconds, which shouldn't be absolute murder to shave away.

Here's segments 27-31.

Notes:
Segment 27: (0:00 - 2:39) I get the fight with the 8 Bombs here that puts me at Level 19 to Warp out. I take the Cottage that's with the Hermes Sandals at the top of the tower but I never use it; I was debating changing to a full moon before the Dark Elf but changed my mind late in the run.
Segment 28: (2:39 - 5:57) Pretty simple and straight forward.
Segment 29: (5:57 - 6:44) Only three random fights between checkpoints.
Segment 30: (6:44 - 7:40) One random fight.
Segment 31: (7:40 - 9:32) I take off Palom's Iron Armlet so that he's not frozen in the Lodestone Cave. Other than that, it's a straight run to the first save spot in the cave.

Comments/suggestions are welcome.

thri11ki11

2009-11-20 06:03:03 am

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

Well, my Palom 0:38 was finished three days ago but I have been unable to upload the last two segments because YouTube "doesn't like the format" even though it's the same format that all of the other files are in. I'll keep trying...

thri11ki11

2009-11-21 10:00:14 am

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

Okay, I managed to get the last two segments up, but it took me two separate links because youtube was being scum.

Segment 32:
Segment 33:

I decided to go after the Dark Elf without the Mage's Robe or the Polymorph Rod; it really didn't have any effect on how long it took to kill him and I saved the time it took to go get those things. In segment 32 I had a minor delay when I hit a wall (about .5 secs) and in segment 33 I had two occasions where I was squirrely on choosing Cura, (probably another .5 to 1 secs) but everything else worked out beautifully.

By the way messenger, I see your Edge single segment is ready to go! How did that turn out? Did you get a good time?

messenger

2009-11-21 02:29:51 pm

I managed to get a 0:28 SS with Edge's story. I am going to be submitting it hopefully within the next few days, assuming I can encode it and everything.

thri11ki11

2009-11-21 03:22:29 pm

Don't MAKE me come down these stairs

Wow, great job!

I got 0:27 segmented, which I think is pretty close to the best possible time; if you got 0:28 single segment that means that sucker must be just about perfect! I think 0:26 may be possible segmented, and I'm probably going to go about seeing for myself within the next couple of days probably.