Mario Golf: Advance Tour (GBA)

Kaitsu

Edit history:

Kaitsu: 2013-01-24 01:12:44 am

Kaitsu: 2012-12-10 11:45:44 am

Kaitsu: 2012-12-04 01:42:30 pm

Kaitsu: 2012-12-04 01:41:40 pm

2012-11-29 12:10:51 pm

Hello. I am planning a single-segment speedrun of Mario Golf: Advance Tour for the GBA. The run consists of the 5 tourneys, after which credits roll. I have thus far practiced with an emulator. I am posting here in hopes that someone might have insight to the game and be able to suggest any new strategies, etc. or try running it themselves and provide feedback. I will attempt to record the speedrun in January once I get the proper equipment.

Below, in the text spoiler, is a written overview of what strategy I am currently using.

Credits to FatRatKnight of GameFAQs, who helped out a great deal and encouraged me!

-Choose female character, since the low Height stat is very important and allows the ball to be hit faster. Default name since it hardly matters
-Intro plays until I get control, then you get the Power Drink outside the castle
-Switch message speed to fast, save the game, then from the menu pick Club Lodge, No, Yes. This skips 3 minutes of intro
-Go to Club Maker's Hut, get the Custom Ticket A from the closet, talk to Club Maker to make POW clubs, say Yes to equip them.
-Save, select the Marion tourney from the menu
-After the tourney, save again and select the Palms tourney from the menu
-After Palms tourney, select Club Lodge from the menu, go to Dunes Practice Grounds, do the Pokey (spikey cactus-like thing) minigame for Custom Ticket C
-Save, then choose Yes to skip to the beginning of the area. Run to Club Maker's Hut, get the Super POW clubs. Choose to NOT equip them, then talk to him again and choose Super POW for Woods, Basic for Irons, Super POW for Wedges.
-Save. Choose Dunes tourney from the menu.
-Save. Choose Links tourney from the menu. Watch the credits
-After credits, select Mushroom Tourney. The end-times I take are from the Congratulations screen.

In the tourneys themselves, Super Backspin is applied to most shots that land on Fairway and the shots that must stop around where they land. Backspin is usually put on shots that land on greens, since they save time. The shots are shot in the initial power and direction when viable.

I'll be glad to see feedback. The single-segment runs are not perfect, but I'll see what I can do.

UPDATE 23rd of January: I have been successful and made a run which beats my old time by almost 3 minutes, 1:04:45;96. Now looking forward to submitting that.

Thread title:

Hello. I am planning a single-segment speedrun of Mario Golf: Advance Tour for the GBA. The run consists of the 5 tourneys, after which credits roll. I have thus far practiced with an emulator. I am posting here in hopes that someone might have insight to the game and be able to suggest any new strategies, etc. or try running it themselves and provide feedback. I will attempt to record the speedrun in January once I get the proper equipment.

Below, in the text spoiler, is a written overview of what strategy I am currently using.

[hidden]

Credits to FatRatKnight of GameFAQs, who helped out a great deal and encouraged me!

-Choose female character, since the low Height stat is very important and allows the ball to be hit faster. Default name since it hardly matters
-Intro plays until I get control, then you get the Power Drink outside the castle
-Switch message speed to fast, save the game, then from the menu pick Club Lodge, No, Yes. This skips 3 minutes of intro
-Go to Club Maker's Hut, get the Custom Ticket A from the closet, talk to Club Maker to make POW clubs, say Yes to equip them.
-Save, select the Marion tourney from the menu
-After the tourney, save again and select the Palms tourney from the menu
-After Palms tourney, select Club Lodge from the menu, go to Dunes Practice Grounds, do the Pokey (spikey cactus-like thing) minigame for Custom Ticket C
-Save, then choose Yes to skip to the beginning of the area. Run to Club Maker's Hut, get the Super POW clubs. Choose to NOT equip them, then talk to him again and choose Super POW for Woods, Basic for Irons, Super POW for Wedges.
-Save. Choose Dunes tourney from the menu.
-Save. Choose Links tourney from the menu. Watch the credits
-After credits, select Mushroom Tourney. The end-times I take are from the Congratulations screen.

In the tourneys themselves, Super Backspin is applied to most shots that land on Fairway and the shots that must stop around where they land. Backspin is usually put on shots that land on greens, since they save time. The shots are shot in the initial power and direction when viable.
[/hidden]

I'll be glad to see feedback. The single-segment runs are not perfect, but I'll see what I can do.

UPDATE 23rd of January: I have been successful and made a run which beats my old time by almost 3 minutes, 1:04:45;96. Now looking forward to submitting that.

Naegleria

(user is banned)

Naegleria

Edit history:

Naegleria: 2012-11-29 01:47:50 pm

2012-11-29 01:45:41 pm

I'm less familiar with the GBA one, but I remember in the game boy one you could save and quit, then select the tourneys from the menu, cutting out on the walking and saving enough time to make most minigames and out of the way upgrades irrelevant.

All the play in the tourneys themselves is good from what I watched, my only question would be if the time spent getting the custom clubs is worth it or not.

*I'd recommend using regular back spin over super for wedges, at least for shots onto the green. I think the super adds time rolling and in most cases you can get closer to the pin faster with just regular.

Kaitsu

Edit history:

Kaitsu: 2012-12-02 07:57:49 am

2012-11-29 03:30:05 pm

I would cut the custom clubs out if I could, but there seems to be little to do about it. I could probably try a run without getting POWs, but I imagine some of the longer holes might require extra time. However, Super POW is a necessity. There is nothing quite like the boost into Drive from them (+30%), and there is no alternative to them in order to clear the Mushroom course.

In this game, if I do Save&Quit, I have to begin from the lodge, and since I am collecting some power-ups and doing the minigame for Super POW from the overworld, I can't really do that to skip more. The Mushroom course is selected from the menu since the cutscenes for that take a lot of time.

You're right with the regular back spin. I do try to use it when I can, but the super backspin is more about making sure the ball stops from distance shots, which is important in regards to actually being able to putt. I will try and improve on that.

EDIT: I tried doing more skips with the menu, and they were great in reducing time. I skipped straight to Marion after getting POW clubs, then straight to Palms. I did the minigame as before. I think even minor walked distances, like going to Dunes after getting Super POWs and going to Links after getting 1-up, will be skipped to save time, since it saves up some time in dialogue. Also, the sub-1-hour mark of in-game clock is coming close Cheesy

I hope it is achievable.

I would cut the custom clubs out if I could, but there seems to be little to do about it. I could probably try a run without getting POWs, but I imagine some of the longer holes might require extra time. However, Super POW is a necessity. There is nothing quite like the boost into Drive from them (+30%), and there is no alternative to them in order to clear the Mushroom course.

In this game, if I do Save&Quit, I have to begin from the lodge, and since I am collecting some power-ups and doing the minigame for Super POW from the overworld, I can't really do that to skip more. The Mushroom course is selected from the menu since the cutscenes for that take a lot of time.

You're right with the regular back spin. I do try to use it when I can, but the super backspin is more about making sure the ball stops from distance shots, which is important in regards to actually being able to putt. I will try and improve on that.

EDIT: I tried doing more skips with the menu, and they were great in reducing time. I skipped straight to Marion after getting POW clubs, then straight to Palms. I did the minigame as before. I think even minor walked distances, like going to Dunes after getting Super POWs and going to Links after getting 1-up, will be skipped to save time, since it saves up some time in dialogue. Also, the sub-1-hour mark of in-game clock is coming close :D I hope it is achievable.

Kaitsu

2012-12-10 11:48:46 am

I updated the first post as I finally managed an in-game clock time of sub 1 hour! Smiley

If I can pull this off with the actual Gamecube in January without annoying mistakes, then I will be submitting a SS run to SDA.

Naegleria

(user is banned)

2012-12-10 04:56:45 pm

Good stuff.

Kaitsu

2013-01-23 02:17:12 pm

I have finally been successful in recording with actual Gamecube / Game Boy Player, so yay. And not only that, but I broke my record quite spectacularly. 1:04:45;96 as far as I have calculated. Almost 3 minutes cut, whew! I will try to have this submitted Cheesy

However, the timing poses a question for which I welcome any opinions: so which do people consider to be the end and start of a run?

First time pressing a button to clear intro (what I have used for now) - 0:00:07;17
Start button is pressed on the title screen - 0:00:10;29
--
The ball disappears from view inside the last hole - 1:04:37;23
The allocation of level-up points are confirmed - 1:04:52;08
The level-up screen ends (what I have used for now) - 1:04:53;13
The congratulations animation starts to play - 1:04:54;08
2nd credits start rolling - 1:05:18;12
The congratulations screen after 2nd credits appears - 1:06:45;17

Rakuen

Edit history:

Rakuen: 2013-01-24 06:21:12 pm

2013-01-24 06:19:25 pm

Weegee Time

The game has a timer in the Character Data screen. Is it a reliable timer? If so that would simplify things a little. If the game time appears at the end of the game (I don't remember), you could use that as the time for the run.

If there's a gap between the time you can last see the timer and the end of the game, manual timing can start there and would end on your last input. I would say that's when the level-up screen ends, because I believe you still have control to make decisions, right?

As for a beginning point if you can't use the in-game timer at all, I would say when you hit start on the title screen. It thrusts you straight into a new game from that point if you have no save file.

Kaitsu

2013-01-26 03:02:44 am

The problem with the timer in the Character Data screen is that I have no idea about its reliability. I have had two runs, one of which was my personal best and then one that took 20 seconds longer, but they differed in the in-game clock by over 2 minutes. I actually did record to see the in-game time of the run I am hoping to submit which was 59:46, but I consider it more important how long it actually takes to play through the game. I have gotten sub-0:59 before and those runs were much worse in my opinion.

I am not quite sure what you are telling me, Rakuen, but I'll try to elaborate. There is, as far as I know, no way to see the timer outside the Character Data screen. There is no way either to know what actually counts as the in-game time moving forward. The credits could count towards that, and the speed of the run itself does not seem to affect it all that much. Maybe I have no idea of how SDA considers these things, though.

Maybe the most logical timing would be to have the endpoints as:
Start button (as the input that begins the game) and the ball inside the hole (which is technically the game completed). That'd be 1:04:26;94.
The only thing bad about that method, which hardly matters now that the run is recorded, is that you cannot be absolutely sure that you've cleared the last course until you get the results after the final hole and see that you're first among the players of the course. Knowing that is rather important since the strategy used is quite risky and straight-forward and about 80% of my attempts fail.

The problem with the timer in the Character Data screen is that I have no idea about its reliability. I have had two runs, one of which was my personal best and then one that took 20 seconds longer, but they differed in the in-game clock by over 2 minutes. I actually did record to see the in-game time of the run I am hoping to submit which was 59:46, but I consider it more important how long it actually takes to play through the game. I have gotten sub-0:59 before and those runs were much worse in my opinion.

I am not quite sure what you are telling me, Rakuen, but I'll try to elaborate. There is, as far as I know, no way to see the timer outside the Character Data screen. There is no way either to know what actually counts as the in-game time moving forward. The credits could count towards that, and the speed of the run itself does not seem to affect it all that much. Maybe I have no idea of how SDA considers these things, though.

Maybe the most logical timing would be to have the endpoints as: 
Start button (as the input that begins the game) and the ball inside the hole (which is technically the game completed). That'd be 1:04:26;94.
The only thing bad about that method, which hardly matters now that the run is recorded, is that you cannot be absolutely sure that you've cleared the last course until you get the results after the final hole and see that you're first among the players of the course. Knowing that is rather important since the strategy used is quite risky and straight-forward and about 80% of my attempts fail.

Rakuen

2013-01-26 07:44:42 am

Weegee Time

Basically I'm saying it's a more convenient and standardized to use a timer the game runs itself then to try to manually time (see the rules).

Quote from Kaitsu:

I have had two runs, one of which was my personal best and then one that took 20 seconds longer, but they differed in the in-game clock by over 2 minutes.

This sounds like the clock isn't reliable, which means we would want to use manual timing for the whole run.

I agree the last hole in is a logical place to stop, but I also agree it's not entirely accurate when the results are still an unknown. It's possible the game is still simulating in the background to determine final scores. The level up screen comes up after the results for the final hole, correct? I would still suggest that point since it takes user input and it's after you know you've won. This might be a better question for an admin though.

Just want to make sure we get the timing right the first time since future runs of the game will use the same style, you know? Smiley

Basically I'm saying it's a more convenient and standardized to use a timer the game runs itself then to try to manually time (see the [url=http://speeddemosarchive.com/lang/rules_en.html]rules[/url]).

[quote=Kaitsu]I have had two runs, one of which was my personal best and then one that took 20 seconds longer, but they differed in the in-game clock by over 2 minutes.[/quote]
This sounds like the clock [i]isn't[/i] reliable, which means we would want to use manual timing for the whole run.

I agree the last hole in is a logical place to stop, but I also agree it's not entirely accurate when the results are still an unknown.  It's possible the game is still simulating in the background to determine final scores.  The level up screen comes up after the results for the final hole, correct?  I would still suggest that point since it takes user input [i]and[/i] it's after you know you've won.  This might be a better question for an admin though.

Just want to make sure we get the timing right the first time since future runs of the game will use the same style, you know? :)

Kaitsu

2013-01-27 02:28:54 am

Quote from Rakuen:

Just want to make sure we get the timing right the first time since future runs of the game will use the same style, you know? Smiley

My thoughts exactly Smiley

CardsOfTheHeart

Edit history:

CardsOfTheHeart: 2013-07-30 07:04:47 pm

2013-07-29 06:44:00 pm

may use a few too many Kappas

Since I recently claimed the WR in this category (despite the fact that I am a dirty emulater until I can get a Dazzle and Game Boy player, which I will hopefully acquire soon) and was contacted by Kaitsu on Twitch about my run, I am compelled to share my thoughts on the timing issue as the behavior of the game timer does affect the run quite a bit.

First off, I am in agreement with Rakuen about ending manual timing on the last input at the level-up screen after finishing the Mushroom Tourney, i.e. distributing your Levels and confirming them. There is a base Experience you get for winning each tournament, but your play also adds experience--likely based on every birdie or better you earn, but there isn't much documentation on it that I can find. Thus your performance does have an effect on the experience--and by extension, the levels--you gain. You have an influence on those final inputs because they're affected by your inputs on the course. They should count.

As for the game timer, let me share what happened to me when I first saw this video from Kaitsu (1:07:43.63 RTA, 59:14 game time): I fired up my own emulator & WSplit and timed myself running through the story in my first "official" attempt to beat the run. It was a much sloppier run than that one without any routing whatsoever, but my run ended up about 30 seconds faster--then I checked the game timer after the credits and I was over a minute SLOWER. My run, by my own admission, was worse than that of the 59:14, but in terms of real time it was still faster. (Both of the runs in question were done on emulator.) For that reason, I'm in the corner of using GAME time for this game.

I should also point out that in my current best run (1:03:53.45 RTA, 57:05 game time), though I had saved 1m41s in real time, I only saved 1m07s in game time despite the fact that I used the same route for both runs. Needless to say, more research into when the game timer starts and stops needs to be done.

I have figured out how the timer behaves in the trophy presentation cutscene. (Somewhat TL;DR section coming up) The cutscene lasts about 20 seconds and can be skipped with a Soft Reset (A+B+Start+Select). After that cutscene, another cutscene shows you what achievements you've unlocked. If you set a Memorial score in your very first tournament, that cutscene will last about 20 seconds and will not be skipped if you Soft Reset--it will play after pressing Start at the title screen.

I've tested what happens when you do and don't Soft Reset at the beginning of the trophy cutscene after getting a Memorial score in the very first Mushroom Tourney. When I reset, I was able to save 15 seconds of real time, but my game timer had an extra 20 seconds on it. If I remember right and my pastebin is correct, the timer stopped during the trophy cutscene and, if I didn't reset, did not resume until after the achievement cutscene. If I did reset, the timer resumed after the title screen and then the achievement cutscene played.

TL;DR Skipping one cutscene makes another cutscene count towards the game timer.

~~Overall TL;DR I am for using game time until the ingame clock unquestionably proves otherwise.~~

P.S. One thing I've noticed about backspins and maybe this is just me: I have this general rule that any shot I hit with a 4-Iron I use regular backspin, and on shots with higher clubs I use super backspin. There's definitely a point at which super backspin stops the ball faster than regular backspin and I'm not certain if it is strictly club-based or not.

Since I recently claimed the WR in this category (despite the fact that I am a dirty emulater until I can get a Dazzle and Game Boy player, which I will hopefully acquire soon) and was contacted by Kaitsu on Twitch about my run, I am compelled to share my thoughts on the timing issue as the behavior of the game timer does affect the run quite a bit.

First off, I am in agreement with Rakuen about ending manual timing on the last input at the level-up screen after finishing the Mushroom Tourney, i.e. distributing your Levels and confirming them. There is a base Experience you get for winning each tournament, but your play also adds experience--likely based on every birdie or better you earn, but there isn't much documentation on it that I can find. Thus your performance does have an effect on the experience--and by extension, the levels--you gain. You have an influence on those final inputs because they're affected by your inputs on the course. They should count.

As for the game timer, let me share what happened to me when I first saw [url=http://www.twitch.tv/kaisermagus/c/1771122]this video from Kaitsu[/url] (1:07:43.63 RTA, 59:14 game time): I fired up my own emulator & WSplit and timed myself running through the story in my first "official" attempt to beat the run. It was a much sloppier run than that one without any routing whatsoever, but my run ended up about 30 seconds faster--then I checked the game timer after the credits and I was over a minute SLOWER. My run, by my own admission, was worse than that of the 59:14, but in terms of real time it was still faster. (Both of the runs in question were done on emulator.) For that reason, I'm in the corner of using GAME time for this game.

I should also point out that [url=http://www.twitch.tv/cardsoftheheart/c/2557482]in my current best run[/url] (1:03:53.45 RTA, 57:05 game time), though I had saved 1m41s in real time, I only saved 1m07s in game time despite the fact that I used the same route for both runs. Needless to say, more research into when the game timer starts and stops needs to be done.

I have figured out how the timer behaves in the trophy presentation cutscene. (Somewhat TL;DR section coming up) The cutscene lasts about 20 seconds and can be skipped with a Soft Reset (A+B+Start+Select). After that cutscene, another cutscene shows you what achievements you've unlocked. If you set a Memorial score in your very first tournament, that cutscene will last about 20 seconds and will not be skipped if you Soft Reset--it will play after pressing Start at the title screen.

I've tested what happens when you do and don't Soft Reset at the beginning of the trophy cutscene after getting a Memorial score in the very first Mushroom Tourney. When I reset, I was able to save 15 seconds of real time, but my game timer had an extra 20 seconds on it. If I remember right and my pastebin is correct, the timer stopped during the trophy cutscene and, if I didn't reset, did not resume until after the achievement cutscene. If I did reset, the timer resumed after the title screen and then the achievement cutscene played.

TL;DR Skipping one cutscene makes another cutscene count towards the game timer.

[s]Overall TL;DR I am for using game time until the ingame clock unquestionably proves otherwise.[/s]

P.S. One thing I've noticed about backspins and maybe this is just me: I have this general rule that any shot I hit with a 4-Iron I use regular backspin, and on shots with higher clubs I use super backspin. There's definitely a point at which super backspin stops the ball faster than regular backspin and I'm not certain if it is strictly club-based or not.

CardsOfTheHeart

Edit history:

CardsOfTheHeart: 2013-08-13 04:55:48 pm

2013-07-30 07:04:26 pm

may use a few too many Kappas

Okay, I've tried timing the game timer to see if it's reliable. Well, it seems to pause in places that don't discourage slowing down. Plus, I'm getting confused finding all of the places it stops.

MANUAL TIMING IT IS. Time starts by Pressing Start at the title screen and ends at the last input of the level up screen after the Mushroom Tourney (because you're practically guaranteed to level up after winning that tournament and you can affect your experience). Does that sound good?

Also, I've been thinking about valid categories to use for this game. I've thought of four:

All Singles Tourneys
All Doubles Tourneys
All Tourneys
Story Mode 100% (All Tourneys+All Birdie Badges+All Match Plays+All Side Games according to the Story Status screen in the Records menu, but not unlocking all other characters in the Quick Game)

(I'm not the best with names... FailFish)

EDIT 8/13/13: After watching a 100% run by Naegleria of the GBC version, I remembered that Birdie Badges ARE part of the Story Status screen and need to be included in the 100% category. They shouldn't add more than a few minutes if you execute properly so it shouldn't be a big deal.

Okay, I've tried timing the game timer to see if it's reliable. Well, it seems to pause in places that don't discourage slowing down. Plus, I'm getting confused finding all of the places it stops.

MANUAL TIMING IT IS. Time starts by Pressing Start at the title screen and ends at the last input of the level up screen after the Mushroom Tourney (because you're practically guaranteed to level up after winning that tournament and you can affect your experience). Does that sound good?

Also, I've been thinking about valid categories to use for this game. I've thought of four:

All Singles Tourneys
All Doubles Tourneys
All Tourneys
Story Mode 100% (All Tourneys+All Birdie Badges+All Match Plays+All Side Games according to the Story Status screen in the Records menu, but not unlocking all other characters in the Quick Game)

(I'm not the best with names... FailFish)

EDIT 8/13/13: After watching a 100% run by Naegleria of the GBC version, I remembered that Birdie Badges ARE part of the Story Status screen and need to be included in the 100% category. They shouldn't add more than a few minutes if you execute properly so it shouldn't be a big deal.

Kaitsu

2013-08-01 06:21:27 am

I am glad to see you agree on timing, and I guess pressing Start to initiate timers would be more logical than the first press to bring up the "press Start" screen.

I feel fine with the categories you propose, as they seem logical. I am afraid the doubles would be quite boring with half of the shots made by a computer, but then again this is hardly a mainstream game even for speedrunning. I am going to focus on taking back the Singles Tourneys record though Wink

Rakuen

Edit history:

Rakuen: 2013-08-01 05:35:55 pm

2013-08-01 05:35:31 pm

Weegee Time

Quote:

P.S. One thing I've noticed about backspins and maybe this is just me: I have this general rule that any shot I hit with a 4-Iron I use regular backspin, and on shots with higher clubs I use super backspin. There's definitely a point at which super backspin stops the ball faster than regular backspin and I'm not certain if it is strictly club-based or not.

I suppose it depends on how detailed the simulation is, but as a general rule the steeper your ball's arc, the more backspin will affect it. In Hot Shots Golf, you can get steeper arcs by shooting with shorter-range clubs, shooting at higher % power (your ball follows the intended trajectory), shooting to a position lower than your lie, shooting from an uphill lie, shooting into the wind, and then the (super) backspin itself also steepens it. I'd be curious how much of an effect these things have in Advance Tour.

I'm also curious if super backspin really takes longer to stop the ball with the longer distance clubs. Also, does side spin help your ball to stop since it also takes away from the ball's forward spin.

Keep in mind that at a certain point this becomes micro-optimization. A higher arc also means it takes slightly longer for your ball to hit the ground and that you'll have to take slightly longer to adjust your aim for the wind.

[quote]P.S. One thing I've noticed about backspins and maybe this is just me: I have this general rule that any shot I hit with a 4-Iron I use regular backspin, and on shots with higher clubs I use super backspin. There's definitely a point at which super backspin stops the ball faster than regular backspin and I'm not certain if it is strictly club-based or not.[/quote]
I suppose it depends on how detailed the simulation is, but as a general rule the steeper your ball's arc, the more backspin will affect it.  In Hot Shots Golf, you can get steeper arcs by shooting with shorter-range clubs, shooting at higher % power (your ball follows the intended trajectory), shooting to a position lower than your lie, shooting from an uphill lie, shooting into the wind, and then the (super) backspin itself also steepens it.  I'd be curious how much of an effect these things have in Advance Tour.

I'm also curious if super backspin really takes longer to stop the ball with the longer distance clubs.  Also, does side spin help your ball to stop since it [i]also[/i] takes away from the ball's forward spin.

Keep in mind that at a certain point this becomes micro-optimization.  A higher arc also means it takes slightly longer for your ball to hit the ground and that you'll have to take slightly longer to adjust your aim for the wind.

Kaitsu

Edit history:

Kaitsu: 2013-08-05 08:44:23 am

Kaitsu: 2013-08-04 03:42:00 pm

2013-08-04 02:00:10 pm

I am currently watching the new record run of CardsOfTheHeart and I have to say, with the actual console I cannot replicate the skips you do with the trophy ceremony's reset. This is because Game Boy Player does not allow such a straightforward reset as far as I know. I have to watch it to the end to see, but I felt like posting this in spur of the moment.

I guess as long as I can make it somewhere around that time I would consider it to be sufficient, but I seem to lack necessary skill after such a long time.

EDIT: Just ran once and made a PB of 1:01:59. Unfortunately I forgot during my setup to record game sound so it is not submittable >.< Uploaded it to YouTube:

CardsOfTheHeart

2013-08-06 09:33:21 pm

may use a few too many Kappas

It's the standard GBA A+B+Start+Select soft reset. You can still soft reset in the Game Boy Player. (Got mine in the mail yesterday! Still need to get used to input lag, though. :P)

Speaking of skips, I still need to see if skipping the unlock cutscene is practical in the run. If you post a Memorial score in your first tournament, skipping that cutscene saves about five seconds. However, showing each achievement takes about... 3.5 seconds, I think, so not posting a Memorial score would save the Memorial score achievement as well as the hole you would unlock from doing so. If that's the case, then you'll lose two seconds by skipping the whole cutscene in the normal course of the run. Ugh, still so many things left to test...

CardsOfTheHeart

2013-12-18 12:48:06 pm

may use a few too many Kappas

This game's not dead yet. I just did a "de-rust" yesterday and got 58:33. >_> I revamped the entire route from Dunes onward to minimize ball flight and I THINK it worked. I saved over a minute in Dunes and I'm not sure how. My Links was terribad, though. I'm thinking I can get sub 56 eventually.

I will be working more on this this week.

CardsOfTheHeart

2015-07-08 05:05:49 pm

may use a few too many Kappas

I never did get an improvement, but Prince_leaf sure did!

I'll go back to this after SGDQ and I have had some time to look at this run.