Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (SNES)

2013-02-25 08:45:51 pm

Quote from Egonomics:

The second boss can also be fully combo'd with this method provided you hit him on the first frame he appears.

Can he be fully combo'd with the crouching combo? Also, how many active frames are on Kimberly's first hit?

Is Kimberly's faster walk speed the same for human and ranger forms? Does it make backflips obsolete?

Anyways, I used to play this game all the time as a kid, and I just put in an order to obtain a copy. I am hyped to start learning to run this.

I remember as a kid, since there are five stages and five rangers, I would always use a different ranger for each stage. I might try to optimize this for a gimmick category. :p

Heidrage

Edit history:

Heidrage: 2013-02-25 09:19:59 pm

2013-02-25 09:17:29 pm

Willing to teach you the impossible

Quote from ButtersBB:

Anyways, I used to play this game all the time as a kid, and I just put in an order to obtain a copy. I am hyped to start learning to run this.

This game is in my queue too.

Danshow

2013-02-26 12:57:14 am

ButtersBB and Heidrage I'd be more than happy to help you guys out with any information you guys need.

@Butters, Kimberlys walk speed is the same in both Ranger/Human for, which is faster than all other rangers, the upside to Jason is his 4 Hit combo hits faster, allowing you to stun lock most of the green leaping putties, unless you can perform the regular hits on the right frames with Kimberly, I would recommend using Kimberly. there are 5 stages, and 2 megazord battles, the first which can be semi manipulated, but the last Zord fight is 100% RNG and can be run enders.

Backflips seem to be faster, if you can time them perfectly upon landing, although Personally I find them hard to fit into a run where you can set up the landings to optimize killing the putties.

ButtersBB

2013-02-27 02:24:55 am

Thanks for the help Danshow!

I got the game today and started streaming my playthroughs. The game is about as fun as I remember!

Will take time for me to memorize the enemy spawns and master the inputs, but I should be streaming attempts pretty consistently from here on out.

Also, putting thought into how I should organize an All Rangers run. Lots to think about!

ButtersBB

2013-02-27 11:08:55 pm

Quick update: After spending a whole 2 nights playing this game (half of which was me drunkenly messing around with all of the other rangers), I have already managed to beat the current SDA time with 33:35. I haven't even ROUTED this shit yet.

SDA in 2007 sure was innocent. :p

ButtersBB

2013-02-28 06:31:29 pm

Danshow: Finally got around to watching your record run. Feedback time!

I like your strategy of using the jump throw against grey puddies when in ranger form, and I hadn't thought of using the low kick against bad puddie formations. Will definitely start doing these things!

Now then, some things that I think can be improved:
Loads of time would be saved by using cancel combos while in human form, rather than the full 4 hit combo. Personally, I have been using Attack x3 > Tap Forward > Attack x3, and I only use the 4 hit combo if the puddies are too close. This combo feels faster to me, and it definitely saves time against the shield puddies and the jumping dark green puddies. It completely locks down the dark green puddies, free.
I am convinced that the second phase of Bones can be done faster, I just need to actually test out optimal combos.
For Viking Gnome, I don't bother trying to get the combo ender, and instead cancel the third hit with a jumping neutral attack. This extra little bit of damage is key for killing him in fewer cycles. I need to test this, but I'm pretty confident that I could probably cancel the third hit with a forward jumping neutral attack, land, and then continue with a ground combo.
Against Genie Anubis, during my messing around with the other rangers, there was a few times where I accidentally landed extended combos against him. I need to test this out, but there is potential for saving time here.
Lastly, backflips. I hate doing backflips, and the puddies are really good at anti airs, but backflipping would likely save time by just using it during long transition phases without enemies.

I have a serious itch right now and am constantly streaming this. I'll continue learning the any% route, and will soon start attempting All Rangers runs. For anyone interested, feel free to check out my streams: http://www.twitch.tv/buttersbb

Danshow: Finally got around to watching your record run. Feedback time!

I like your strategy of using the jump throw against grey puddies when in ranger form, and I hadn't thought of using the low kick against bad puddie formations. Will definitely start doing these things!

Now then, some things that I think can be improved:
Loads of time would be saved by using cancel combos while in human form, rather than the full 4 hit combo. Personally, I have been using Attack x3 > Tap Forward > Attack x3, and I only use the 4 hit combo if the puddies are too close. This combo feels faster to me, and it definitely saves time against the shield puddies and the jumping dark green puddies. It completely locks down the dark green puddies, free.
I am convinced that the second phase of Bones can be done faster, I just need to actually test out optimal combos.
For Viking Gnome, I don't bother trying to get the combo ender, and instead cancel the third hit with a jumping neutral attack. This extra little bit of damage is key for killing him in fewer cycles. I need to test this, but I'm pretty confident that I could probably cancel the third hit with a forward jumping neutral attack, land, and then continue with a ground combo.
Against Genie Anubis, during my messing around with the other rangers, there was a few times where I accidentally landed extended combos against him. I need to test this out, but there is potential for saving time here.
Lastly, backflips. I hate doing backflips, and the puddies are really good at anti airs, but backflipping would likely save time by just using it during long transition phases without enemies.

I have a serious itch right now and am constantly streaming this. I'll continue learning the any% route, and will soon start attempting All Rangers runs. For anyone interested, feel free to check out my streams: http://www.twitch.tv/buttersbb

Danshow

2013-03-01 07:42:18 pm

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xf522c#.UTFl_lciW6t

Here is the TAS, which shows the strats for Gnarly Gnome - 3 hits, jump kick, and then final hit, which is frame perfect and his spawn has to be on certain platforms.

Boss fights are where I know my improvements are at, and as it comes to backflips they save about 4.3 seconds in stage 5 from what I've tested, but set ups on putties after backflipping can become very annoying, as some won't walk up as far as if you ran in- that being said if you can route around it it'd be more beneficial, I still haven't put all my time into finding a new strat, just kinda stuck on this one route I'm using which I know I can save over 30 seconds just on this one alone. A previous run I had I was -37 going into Cyclopsis, yet got trolled and he blocked me so often I ended 2 min over.

I will follow you on twitch and talk to you on there also

ButtersBB

2013-03-02 09:44:28 am

Sounds good! I'll be sure to pop in whenever you are streaming as well.

Danshow

2013-03-07 10:43:23 pm

Just improved on my WR by a little over 10 seconds.. Video Below

http://www.twitch.tv/danshow1/c/1999609

Danshow

2013-03-13 12:19:52 am

Improved on my WR by 2 seconds, and then by 1 second on this run
http://www.twitch.tv/danshow1/c/2021415

^ This run was my sub 31, unfortunately Cyclopsis trolled me and I finished -0.1 faster than my WR.

Danshow

2013-03-15 04:33:26 am

Until my Record is beaten I will no longer be active in this thread, I welcome all competition, and would like to see more people play this awesome game.

Just hit 30:48, my goal sub 31 for a very long time

http://www.twitch.tv/danshow1/c/2029874

Video above.

ButtersBB

2013-03-15 08:26:02 pm

Well done dude!

It is hard for me to practice consistently at the moment as a result of school and work, but hopefully I'll be able to drag you back into this game in due time.

Danshow

2013-05-31 09:34:15 am

Butters I can't wait until you get time to run this, I've been working on my overall movement, combo cancels and other strats that I didn't use in this run here, but New Time is 30:24

http://www.twitch.tv/danshow1/c/2356330

ButtersBB

2013-05-31 10:00:22 am

Awesome! 3ds is going to have to take a back seat this weekend for MMPR attempts. Lets keep the hype going!

Danshow

2013-06-03 12:29:04 pm

Butters here it is, the sub 30 run.

http://www.twitch.tv/danshow1/c/2373718

ButtersBB

Edit history:

ButtersBB: 2013-06-03 02:22:21 pm

2013-06-03 02:19:22 pm

Dammit, was hoping to make the big Zach strat reveal after I got the WR, but you beat me to the punch. :p

Nice job dude! Its really frustrating that like, a minute worth of time can be gained or lost based on that last damned fight, lol. Times will only get lower from here!

BTW, I still say that Zach may be better for Stage 2. Watch my stage 2 30:31 highlight to see why, namely the human segment.

http://www.twitch.tv/buttersbb/c/2372000

For comparisons sake: In your new record run with Kimberly, the 2nd boss appears at the end of the stage at 5:28. In my run using Zach on that level, the 2nd boss appears at the end of the stage at 5:17. Take it, I had a better stage 1 in this run, but it still comes out to at least a 5 second improvement.

The reason I prefer Zach comes down to my strategy with dark green putties: I aim to line them up and take them out with one combo, rather than individually combo them. With Kimberly this is inconsistent, but with Zach this is much easier.

Just to bring everyone up to speed that is unfamiliar with the latest MMPR developments: I discovered that Zach is DA GAWD in stage 4. Basically, his low kick is able to lockdown and quickly dispatch the dark green puddies, and the range is good enough that he can hit multiple puddies that are often in awkward formations in that stage. In addition, if the puddies are too far apart, odds are good that he won't be hit out of his combo because the puddies rarely crouch themselves, so their attacks will just whiff over his head.

At any rate, I gotta keep on grinding it out! Hopefully the RNG gods will smile upon me with the last boss EVENTUALLY.

BTW: Danshow, I notice that you hit your splits after the enemy blows up, and I hit them during the stage fade out. From now on, I'll hit them at enemy explosion so that it is easier to compare times.

Dammit, was hoping to make the big Zach strat reveal after I got the WR, but you beat me to the punch. :p

Nice job dude! Its really frustrating that like, a minute worth of time can be gained or lost based on that last damned fight, lol. Times will only get lower from here!

BTW, I still say that Zach may be better for Stage 2. Watch my stage 2 30:31 highlight to see why, namely the human segment.

http://www.twitch.tv/buttersbb/c/2372000

For comparisons sake: In your new record run with Kimberly, the 2nd boss appears at the end of the stage at 5:28. In my run using Zach on that level, the 2nd boss appears at the end of the stage at 5:17. Take it, I had a better stage 1 in this run, but it still comes out to at least a 5 second improvement.

The reason I prefer Zach comes down to my strategy with dark green putties: I aim to line them up and take them out with one combo, rather than individually combo them. With Kimberly this is inconsistent, but with Zach this is much easier.

Just to bring everyone up to speed that is unfamiliar with the latest MMPR developments: I discovered that Zach is DA GAWD in stage 4. Basically, his low kick is able to lockdown and quickly dispatch the dark green puddies, and the range is good enough that he can hit multiple puddies that are often in awkward formations in that stage. In addition, if the puddies are too far apart, odds are good that he won't be hit out of his combo because the puddies rarely crouch themselves, so their attacks will just whiff over his head.

At any rate, I gotta keep on grinding it out! Hopefully the RNG gods will smile upon me with the last boss EVENTUALLY.

BTW: Danshow, I notice that you hit your splits after the enemy blows up, and I hit them during the stage fade out. From now on, I'll hit them at enemy explosion so that it is easier to compare times.

ButtersBB

Edit history:

ButtersBB: 2013-06-03 03:28:02 pm

ButtersBB: 2013-06-03 02:57:13 pm

ButtersBB: 2013-06-03 02:56:38 pm

2013-06-03 02:54:47 pm

OK, after rewatching the run (and cleaning up the orange juice I spit all over my monitor when I logged into twitch and saw MMPR SUB 30 in my new videos tab), I just have one question to ask:

That luck on Eyeguy, AND that ridiculous luck on the last boss... Are you committing animal sacrifices to the RNG gods? I fear for your cat. Shocked

Danshow

2013-06-03 02:56:24 pm

Yeah it's incredibly frusterating, Cyclopsis is the biggest troll around >=( I'll definitely check out your run and see what I can implement into my run, I need to learn Zach's range a bit better as I missed a few of my hits on stage 4. Thanks but I know you're going to take the record from me anyday now, I may or may not even bother trying to improve my time as -30:30 was my goal, and making sub 30 is an incredible achievement.

EYEGUY was my best friend on this run, and Cyclopsis trolling as 2nd Wink

I was and still am astonished at the RNG and I know I won't be able to get both of those in a run again haha.

ButtersBB

2013-06-03 02:57:39 pm

BTW, I'm EST (live in Pittsburgh).

What time zone are you dude? We should get some races going some time!

ButtersBB

2013-06-03 04:15:45 pm

I'm glad that we now have runs to compare with each other. I'm putting our two latest runs side by side, so I can finally visualize where time is being gained and lost. I am going to be sure to take note of situations where lining up enemies saves time, and situations where it is better to just kill individually.

It's cool to be able to see what is actually saving time and what is not.

ButtersBB

2013-06-03 09:56:28 pm

OK, in an attempt to develop optimal strats for this game, I am now going to compare the strategies in each level that were utilized by myself and Danshow in our current PBs. Although neither of us played perfectly and the jury is still out on certain strategies, I feel that this is a great opportunity to truly begin breaking down each level.

Level 1: Human
Comparing the videos of this level is very interesting. Questions that I was VERY curious about are finally answered. What is faster: Stand jabbing one hit enemies, jump attacking them, or throwing them into each other? Attacking an enemy on the right side of the screen and then jump attacking the enemy on the left, or throwing the right enemy into the enemy to the left? THE ANSWER: It doesn't really matter. There appears to be literally no time difference between jump attacking vs. stand jabbing when moving forward, and no time difference between throwing enemies on opposite sides of the screen vs. jump attacking them.
One interesting observation regards the two purple puddies that break through the shop window. I throw the left puddy into the right puddy as he breaks through the window and then combo them together, while Danshow full combos both. There is no time difference between these strats, though I am closer to the edge of the screen, which is ultimately a miniscule improvement at best. However, Danshow usually stands to the right, waits for both to pop out, and then attacks both. This strat eliminates the recovery time of the throw, and is likely the optimal strategy.
The rest of the level is straightforward and basically the same.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 1: Ranger
The first thing to note here are the two purple puddies that spawn with the wave of mechanical birds. I figured out that the second purple puddy's spawn is not just controlled by killing the left puddy. The second puddy can actually be spawned by killing the third mechanical bird, or if the third mechanical bird reaches the end of the screen. However, my strategy of throwing the left purple puddy and then killing the mechanical bird and comboing both puddies appears to be slower than Danshow's strategy of simply killing each with full combos, though Danshow also utilizes a strategy where he shoots the last grey puddy off screen while I do not. This puts him closer to the first spawned purple puddy. Utilizing the bow strat in conjunction with the bird strat may be faster, though likely miniscule at best.
The other thing to note is the wave of light green puddies that appear near the car. Usually, when I shoot an arrow and the first puddy is in the air, both puddies are killed, though the second puddy happened to live in this run. Although this arrow is not guaranteed, the long throw is so slow that shooting an arrow and then running up and hitting the second puddy actually does not lose time. Therefore, the arrow seems to be worth the risk.
The rest of the level is basically the same. We both favor using the jump kick instead of the stand attack on one hit enemies, because the stand attack in ranger form at least FEELS slower.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 1: Boss
This one is difficult to assess. The strategy for this boss comes down to the second form. My strategy is to hit him three times when he lands, air kick him three times, and then full combo him. Danshow's strategy is to hit him with a healthy amount of neutral air attacks, and land two three hit combos in-between. Danshow's strategy allows him to more easily end up in the corner when the boss enters form three, however, he has to land more hits.
Honestly, the quick kill on phase three is nice, but even if you have to air hit his head a few times, it doesn't take THAT long (and his head takes forever to blow up, so the bomb is not a huge time waster either). Moreover, the boss's AI follows certain patterns: He is always susceptible to a ground combo when he first lands after the transition or after an attack. Also, when he's in the corner, he can never be 4 hit combo'd and he always jumps out in the same arc and is susceptible to a ground combo upon landing.
Optimal time would be using my strategy and being lucky enough for him to die close to the corner. Even if he's not close to the corner though, the time lost is not bad. However, I am open to debate on this one.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: ButtersBB (?)

Level 2: Human
The strategies in this level are vastly different, most notably due to using two different characters. However, this level highlights a major difference in philosophy between the runners in regards to dealing with puddies: Danshow tends to favor killing them individually, and I favor lining them up and killing them at the same time.
So which way is faster? Well, we shall observe this throughout the runs and try to come to some sort of conclusion.
One general observation: Unless the puddies die in one hit, the best situation is when a puddy is thrown at another puddy and lands at the other puddy's feet without hitting him. In this situation, the puddies are right next to each other and can be full combo'd, while if they hit each other, there is a risk that they will end up too far apart. The biggest barrier to good runs besides some bosses are definitely the dark green puddies, which can jump away and waste loads of time.
Now for the level breakdown. I finish this level significantly faster than Danshow. The biggest reason for this is because I effectively line up enemies. For instance, the two dark green puddies that come down from the tree always come out with a delay between each drop. So the left puddy can be thrown to the right, and then the right puddy will land on top of him. In addition, an understanding of how enemies spawn is needed. Enemies in this stage are not simply spawned based on killing other puddies or transitioning screens. Occasionally, enemies spawn based on destroying certain stage hazards. In this stage, there are two times where an enemy comes down from the rooftop after you destroy a barrel that comes from the right side. This can be manipulated by throwing a puddy and destroying the barrel, so that the enemy lands on top of the other puddy and you can combo both.
Reasons Zach is better here: His low kick locks down dark green puddies and he's less susceptible to being randomed out by them. His fast low kick is more effective for destroying barrels (Kimberly's low kick is so slow, it might actually be faster for her to just take damage). He beats the shield puddies faster. The stage is pretty small, so Kimberly can't take advantage of her run speed too much.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: ButtersBB

Level 2: Ranger
Overall, Danshow has better strategies here. Throwing the puddy at the beginning loses times, its better to just combo him. He also has a good strat for the falling debris section.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Danshow

Level 2: Boss
This is an odd one. Danshow's strategy is more consistent, while my strategy has more potential. With good luck and good execution, my strategy is faster, but there is a greater risk for losing a run.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: ButtersBB
CONSISTENT STRATEGY: Danshow

Level 3: Human
I had really bad luck on this level, but this level serves as a good example of the strengths and weaknesses of lining up enemies. In the shaft segment where a bunch of purple puddies spawned, I attempted to line the puddies up to take them out two at a time. When they cooperate, this saves a decent chunk of time. However, because they moved away from each other, this ultimately lost time. Lining up enemies in the shaft segment is potentially faster, but risky.
This level is luck dependent in several other ways, namely with puddies moving away from you and avoiding throws.
In the corridor section, I line up the purple puddies while Danshow just combos them. Lining them up is luck dependent, and after comparing the two runs, it does not seem to save time. Just comboing them is the better option.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Sorta Tie (minus the corridor)

Level 3: Ranger
Not too much to say about this level. Danshow has a better strategy for taking out the enemies on the first screen (manipulate spawn pattern by using combo rather than throw to save time). I have a better strategy for lining up the enemies on the bridge (hit one as he comes down, it's faster then throw). Other than that, very straightforward level.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 3: Boss
Nothing much to say really. Worth noting is that while Danshow did get awesome luck on this boss, it really only saved like... 2 seconds. May have been faster to just hit him with one full combo and then bomb?
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 4: Human
Zach is an interesting character. When I take out the purple puddies that come out before the shield puddies in Stage 2 with Kimberly the barrel always reaches me before I finish them off, however, when I fight them with Zach, I always kill them before the barrel reaches me. Based on this, I already knew that Zach kills things faster than Kimberly. However, not until I compared these two runs did I really process exactly what that means.
Neither of our runs of this stage was perfect, we got bad spawns at about the same spots. That said, our different styles shone through again: Danshow mostly killed them individually, and I attempted to line them up with throws. The thing is, our times were practically equal, and I had GOOD LUCK on successfully lining up the enemies!
This means that Zach kills things so quickly, that the time spent going through a throw animation is roughly equal to the time spent killing something with low kicks. Heck, it may be just as fast to kill the purple puddies on the stairs individually than it is to throw them into each other!
This bares further testing, but for now, I am going to theorize that lining up enemies with throws as Zach is a risk with no reward unless it serves a deeper purpose (such as spawn management with stage 2).
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Low Kick, all day

Level 4: Ranger
This is where Danshow really pulls away. Good ascent strategy (saves more time than I thought). Throwing enemies off of the ledge is a cute gimmick, but it seems that just killing them with combos is faster. Danshow also uses a better strategy on the last group of puddies that takes advantage of their spawn pattern.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Danshow

Level 4: Boss
Nothing to say really. Hit him enough times and he dies. Woo.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 5: Human
This level is surprisingly straightforward. Strategies are basically the exact same.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 5: Ranger
Basically, I throw too much in the first part of the stage. Sometimes simple is best. Fun little tidbit about this stage: During the beginning of the stage, the enemies on the bottom of the stairs spawn based on when you destroy the rolling barrels.
The sweet spot for getting the gun skip is to kill the last puddy at the very foot of the stairs. Too close and you get hit by the spawning barrel, too far and you get shot.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Danshow

Level 5: Boss
Nothing much to say.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 6
This guy's a random jerk but not nearly as bad as the last boss. He likes to get hit by Dash Slash, whatever.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Dash Slash

Level 7
This guy can just go screw, seriously. Basic strat is occasional Dash Slash, lots of Jump-In Combo, and even more praying. To get an idea of how random this guy is: Danshow and I use basically the same strategy, but it took me nearly 30 seconds longer.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Pray

With that out of the way, I'd like to quickly give my proposed ALL RANGERS route.

Level 1: Kimberly
Level 2: Billy
Level 3: Trini
Level 4: Zach
Level 5: Jason

Kimberly: Level 1 provides the most usage for her bow.
Billy: His low kick can best be utilized against the dark green puddies and the shield puddies. Also the first part of the level isn't too long, so his slow speed isn't as much of a burden.
Trini: ... Gives her something to do I guess. Her throw I believe doesn't go too far, which can actually be useful here since you don't want to throw into puddies before they get off of their ledge.
Zach: Blasts through Level 4 like a boss.
Jason: Can basically do what Kimberly does, and the bow isn't as useful here.

OK, in an attempt to develop optimal strats for this game, I am now going to compare the strategies in each level that were utilized by myself and Danshow in our current PBs. Although neither of us played perfectly and the jury is still out on certain strategies, I feel that this is a great opportunity to truly begin breaking down each level.

Level 1: Human
Comparing the videos of this level is very interesting. Questions that I was VERY curious about are finally answered. What is faster: Stand jabbing one hit enemies, jump attacking them, or throwing them into each other? Attacking an enemy on the right side of the screen and then jump attacking the enemy on the left, or throwing the right enemy into the enemy to the left? THE ANSWER: It doesn't really matter. There appears to be literally no time difference between jump attacking vs. stand jabbing when moving forward, and no time difference between throwing enemies on opposite sides of the screen vs. jump attacking them.
One interesting observation regards the two purple puddies that break through the shop window. I throw the left puddy into the right puddy as he breaks through the window and then combo them together, while Danshow full combos both. There is no time difference between these strats, though I am closer to the edge of the screen, which is ultimately a miniscule improvement at best. However, Danshow usually stands to the right, waits for both to pop out, and then attacks both. This strat eliminates the recovery time of the throw, and is likely the optimal strategy.
The rest of the level is straightforward and basically the same.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 1: Ranger
The first thing to note here are the two purple puddies that spawn with the wave of mechanical birds. I figured out that the second purple puddy's spawn is not just controlled by killing the left puddy. The second puddy can actually be spawned by killing the third mechanical bird, or if the third mechanical bird reaches the end of the screen. However, my strategy of throwing the left purple puddy and then killing the mechanical bird and comboing both puddies appears to be slower than Danshow's strategy of simply killing each with full combos, though Danshow also utilizes a strategy where he shoots the last grey puddy off screen while I do not. This puts him closer to the first spawned purple puddy. Utilizing the bow strat in conjunction with the bird strat may be faster, though likely miniscule at best.
The other thing to note is the wave of light green puddies that appear near the car. Usually, when I shoot an arrow and the first puddy is in the air, both puddies are killed, though the second puddy happened to live in this run. Although this arrow is not guaranteed, the long throw is so slow that shooting an arrow and then running up and hitting the second puddy actually does not lose time. Therefore, the arrow seems to be worth the risk.
The rest of the level is basically the same. We both favor using the jump kick instead of the stand attack on one hit enemies, because the stand attack in ranger form at least FEELS slower.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 1: Boss
This one is difficult to assess. The strategy for this boss comes down to the second form. My strategy is to hit him three times when he lands, air kick him three times, and then full combo him. Danshow's strategy is to hit him with a healthy amount of neutral air attacks, and land two three hit combos in-between. Danshow's strategy allows him to more easily end up in the corner when the boss enters form three, however, he has to land more hits.
Honestly, the quick kill on phase three is nice, but even if you have to air hit his head a few times, it doesn't take THAT long (and his head takes forever to blow up, so the bomb is not a huge time waster either). Moreover, the boss's AI follows certain patterns: He is always susceptible to a ground combo when he first lands after the transition or after an attack. Also, when he's in the corner, he can never be 4 hit combo'd and he always jumps out in the same arc and is susceptible to a ground combo upon landing.
Optimal time would be using my strategy and being lucky enough for him to die close to the corner. Even if he's not close to the corner though, the time lost is not bad. However, I am open to debate on this one.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: ButtersBB (?)

Level 2: Human
The strategies in this level are vastly different, most notably due to using two different characters. However, this level highlights a major difference in philosophy between the runners in regards to dealing with puddies: Danshow tends to favor killing them individually, and I favor lining them up and killing them at the same time.
So which way is faster? Well, we shall observe this throughout the runs and try to come to some sort of conclusion.
One general observation: Unless the puddies die in one hit, the best situation is when a puddy is thrown at another puddy and lands at the other puddy's feet without hitting him. In this situation, the puddies are right next to each other and can be full combo'd, while if they hit each other, there is a risk that they will end up too far apart. The biggest barrier to good runs besides some bosses are definitely the dark green puddies, which can jump away and waste loads of time.
Now for the level breakdown. I finish this level significantly faster than Danshow. The biggest reason for this is because I effectively line up enemies. For instance, the two dark green puddies that come down from the tree always come out with a delay between each drop. So the left puddy can be thrown to the right, and then the right puddy will land on top of him. In addition, an understanding of how enemies spawn is needed. Enemies in this stage are not simply spawned based on killing other puddies or transitioning screens. Occasionally, enemies spawn based on destroying certain stage hazards. In this stage, there are two times where an enemy comes down from the rooftop after you destroy a barrel that comes from the right side. This can be manipulated by throwing a puddy and destroying the barrel, so that the enemy lands on top of the other puddy and you can combo both.
Reasons Zach is better here: His low kick locks down dark green puddies and he's less susceptible to being randomed out by them. His fast low kick is more effective for destroying barrels (Kimberly's low kick is so slow, it might actually be faster for her to just take damage). He beats the shield puddies faster. The stage is pretty small, so Kimberly can't take advantage of her run speed too much.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: ButtersBB

Level 2: Ranger
Overall, Danshow has better strategies here. Throwing the puddy at the beginning loses times, its better to just combo him. He also has a good strat for the falling debris section.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Danshow

Level 2: Boss
This is an odd one. Danshow's strategy is more consistent, while my strategy has more potential. With good luck and good execution, my strategy is faster, but there is a greater risk for losing a run.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: ButtersBB
CONSISTENT STRATEGY: Danshow

Level 3: Human
I had really bad luck on this level, but this level serves as a good example of the strengths and weaknesses of lining up enemies. In the shaft segment where a bunch of purple puddies spawned, I attempted to line the puddies up to take them out two at a time. When they cooperate, this saves a decent chunk of time. However, because they moved away from each other, this ultimately lost time. Lining up enemies in the shaft segment is potentially faster, but risky.
This level is luck dependent in several other ways, namely with puddies moving away from you and avoiding throws.
In the corridor section, I line up the purple puddies while Danshow just combos them. Lining them up is luck dependent, and after comparing the two runs, it does not seem to save time. Just comboing them is the better option.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Sorta Tie (minus the corridor)

Level 3: Ranger
Not too much to say about this level. Danshow has a better strategy for taking out the enemies on the first screen (manipulate spawn pattern by using combo rather than throw to save time). I have a better strategy for lining up the enemies on the bridge (hit one as he comes down, it's faster then throw). Other than that, very straightforward level.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 3: Boss
Nothing much to say really. Worth noting is that while Danshow did get awesome luck on this boss, it really only saved like... 2 seconds. May have been faster to just hit him with one full combo and then bomb?
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 4: Human
Zach is an interesting character. When I take out the purple puddies that come out before the shield puddies in Stage 2 with Kimberly the barrel always reaches me before I finish them off, however, when I fight them with Zach, I always kill them before the barrel reaches me. Based on this, I already knew that Zach kills things faster than Kimberly. However, not until I compared these two runs did I really process exactly what that means.
Neither of our runs of this stage was perfect, we got bad spawns at about the same spots. That said, our different styles shone through again: Danshow mostly killed them individually, and I attempted to line them up with throws. The thing is, our times were practically equal, and I had GOOD LUCK on successfully lining up the enemies!
This means that Zach kills things so quickly, that the time spent going through a throw animation is roughly equal to the time spent killing something with low kicks. Heck, it may be just as fast to kill the purple puddies on the stairs individually than it is to throw them into each other!
This bares further testing, but for now, I am going to theorize that lining up enemies with throws as Zach is a risk with no reward unless it serves a deeper purpose (such as spawn management with stage 2).
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Low Kick, all day

Level 4: Ranger
This is where Danshow really pulls away. Good ascent strategy (saves more time than I thought). Throwing enemies off of the ledge is a cute gimmick, but it seems that just killing them with combos is faster. Danshow also uses a better strategy on the last group of puddies that takes advantage of their spawn pattern.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Danshow

Level 4: Boss
Nothing to say really. Hit him enough times and he dies. Woo.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 5: Human
This level is surprisingly straightforward. Strategies are basically the exact same.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 5: Ranger
Basically, I throw too much in the first part of the stage. Sometimes simple is best. Fun little tidbit about this stage: During the beginning of the stage, the enemies on the bottom of the stairs spawn based on when you destroy the rolling barrels. 
The sweet spot for getting the gun skip is to kill the last puddy at the very foot of the stairs. Too close and you get hit by the spawning barrel, too far and you get shot.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Danshow

Level 5: Boss
Nothing much to say.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Tie

Level 6
This guy's a random jerk but not nearly as bad as the last boss. He likes to get hit by Dash Slash, whatever.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Dash Slash

Level 7
This guy can just go screw, seriously. Basic strat is occasional Dash Slash, lots of Jump-In Combo, and even more praying. To get an idea of how random this guy is: Danshow and I use basically the same strategy, but it took me nearly 30 seconds longer.
OPTIMAL STRATEGY: Pray

With that out of the way, I'd like to quickly give my proposed ALL RANGERS route.

Level 1: Kimberly
Level 2: Billy
Level 3: Trini
Level 4: Zach
Level 5: Jason

Kimberly: Level 1 provides the most usage for her bow.
Billy: His low kick can best be utilized against the dark green puddies and the shield puddies. Also the first part of the level isn't too long, so his slow speed isn't as much of a burden.
Trini: ... Gives her something to do I guess. Her throw I believe doesn't go too far, which can actually be useful here since you don't want to throw into puddies before they get off of their ledge.
Zach: Blasts through Level 4 like a boss.
Jason: Can basically do what Kimberly does, and the bow isn't as useful here.

Danshow

Edit history:

Danshow: 2013-06-04 03:41:59 am

2013-06-04 03:33:44 am

Awesome man I agree with almost everything on here, If you want to add me on Skype or something we could discuss the most optimal strats and create a Wiki, Lemme know Cheesy

I may do a few test runs with Zach on stage 2, in your 30:31 run you finish 3 seconds faster than my time with Kimberly, If Zach is much faster, I would like to see how much time I can take off.

ButtersBB

Edit history:

ButtersBB: 2013-06-04 07:11:32 am

2013-06-04 06:26:08 am

Sure thing. You can add me on skype, my username is Buttersbb.

I toyed around a bit with stage 2 last night, and unfortunately, I have to point this out as a possible candidate: Trini.

She is awful in human form and very unfun, but sadly, she is the only character that can consistently hit the stage 2 boss with full 4 hits combos. Using this with my boss strat, she can take the boss to his critical state after only 3 teleports if she is lucky. I haven't timed out how much time she loses in human form though, and I imagine that whatever time she might gain from the boss would be overshadowed by the time lost in human form, but it is something to look at.

Jason might also be worth timing out, because his throw is fast and good for lining up the enemies in this stage (he tends to throw the enemy at the other puddy's feet rather than hitting them).

With the advent of Stage 4 Zach, I think it is worth exploring the possibility that another character might be faster in a certain stage. Kimberly is without question the fastest in Stage 1 and most likely Stage 5, but Stage 2 seems up in the air, and we may want to look at Stage 3.

Sure thing. You can add me on skype, my username is Buttersbb.

I toyed around a bit with stage 2 last night, and unfortunately, I have to point this out as a possible candidate: Trini.

She is awful in human form and very unfun, but sadly, she is the only character that can consistently hit the stage 2 boss with full 4 hits combos. Using this with my boss strat, she can take the boss to his critical state after only 3 teleports if she is lucky. I haven't timed out how much time she loses in human form though, and I imagine that whatever time she might gain from the boss would be overshadowed by the time lost in human form, but it is something to look at.

Jason might also be worth timing out, because his throw is fast and good for lining up the enemies in this stage (he tends to throw the enemy at the other puddy's feet rather than hitting them).

With the advent of Stage 4 Zach, I think it is worth exploring the possibility that another character might be faster in a certain stage. Kimberly is without question the fastest in Stage 1 and most likely Stage 5, but Stage 2 seems up in the air, and we may want to look at Stage 3.

AdHoc

2013-06-04 07:35:27 am

Dude, your involvement in this is stunning, you're crazy. Good job!

ButtersBB

2013-06-04 09:15:37 pm

Found a damage boost on Stage 3!

http://www.twitch.tv/buttersbb/c/2380409

Note: I intentionally miss the jump on the other wall because I'm blown away that I actually pulled this off and wanted to go down and try again.