Sequence (PC)

ElaineSpencer

Edit history:

ElaineSpencer: 2014-08-01 06:10:40 am

ElaineSpencer: 2014-07-07 09:44:51 am

ElaineSpencer: 2014-07-04 09:24:38 pm

ElaineSpencer: 2014-06-30 10:41:54 am

ElaineSpencer: 2014-06-30 10:41:51 am

ElaineSpencer: 2014-06-30 10:41:50 am

ElaineSpencer: 2014-06-29 03:48:44 pm

2014-06-29 10:56:35 am

I'm only as crazy as you think...

Sequence is one of those games that I found to be unique (as a rhythm/RPG hybrid) and rather enjoyable to play. I'm considering speedrunning it, but was wondering if anyone would really be interested in seeing such a game ran.

The only thing I can see being an issue is how RNG dependent making keys and such are, since you have to pay in EXP and potentially lose levels.

I'm working on routing, and the current notes can be found in this Pastebin.I've completed a few Any% runs, and I'm trying to get as close to the 2 hour mark as possible.

I've also come up with a backtrack route for 100% (All synths, learn all spells, Iridium/???) that can be found here

Thread title:

FerociousFenrir

2014-06-29 11:03:33 am

I'll be the first to say that I absolutely love this game and would love to see a run, but it would be kind of tricky since it's really just a rhythm game, isn't it? There's not much you can do to make it faster other than optimizing which monsters to fight, which items to sell, and hoping you don't lose any exp during synths.

If you can pull it off though, I'll definitely check it out.

Kotti

2014-06-29 11:46:48 am

I'm interested.

ElaineSpencer

Edit history:

ElaineSpencer: 2014-06-30 08:35:40 am

ElaineSpencer: 2014-06-29 03:46:28 pm

ElaineSpencer: 2014-06-29 03:46:12 pm

ElaineSpencer: 2014-06-29 02:39:17 pm

ElaineSpencer: 2014-06-29 02:39:16 pm

2014-06-29 01:56:29 pm

I'm only as crazy as you think...

Quote from FerociousFenrir:

There's not much you can do to make it faster other than optimizing which monsters to fight, which items to sell, and hoping you don't lose any exp during synths.

Pretty much this, yeah.

The plan is to figure out exactly how much of each ingredient you need for synths (I have that all down in a notepad somewhere) and which enemies drop the ingredient so you know how many times you need to fight said enemies, try to low% synths to avoid extra EXP loss, and desynth some items for extra EXP if needed.

Would also need to figure out which abilities to learn, because learning them all would obviously take a lot of time.

EDIT: Starting to reroute as I can't find the notes anymore, and will be streaming it as I go. First stream routed Floor 1-3. I did get trolled while trying to synth Key the First, which took a total of four attempts at 50%.

Kailaria

2014-07-03 06:36:31 pm

Not sure if you've noted it down, but you can actually skip the tutorials in Chapter 1 to make the Black Potion and you still retain the 3 Obsidian normally used to make it, as well as the spellcasting tutorial. I'm not sure how much good +2 HP is really going to be in the long run when you can just desync a bunch of raw materials and gain some levels. Wink

ElaineSpencer

2014-07-04 08:59:52 am

I'm only as crazy as you think...

Quote from Kailaria:

Not sure if you've noted it down, but you can actually skip the tutorials in Chapter 1 to make the Black Potion and you still retain the 3 Obsidian normally used to make it, as well as the spellcasting tutorial. I'm not sure how much good +2 HP is really going to be in the long run when you can just desync a bunch of raw materials and gain some levels. Wink

I actually wasn't aware of being able to skip tutorials - I'll note it down, thanks for the heads up!

As a general update some loose notes have been taken and when I stopped I was 1 ingredient away from synthing Key the Sixth - almost done with notes!

Kailaria

Edit history:

Kailaria: 2014-07-04 12:13:24 pm

2014-07-04 12:04:23 pm

Another thing I noticed is that the timing window for this game is actually decently large, like maybe the size of an Excellent in In the Groove or a Great in DDR. It's big enough that, if you hit one arrow a little early, switch fields, and then hit another equally timed arrow in the other lane very slightly late, you can get both.

It's a bit harder to do this on higher BPM songs (and only really applicable on Easy, as there are too many arrows to hit across all 3 fields on harder difficulties), but it's very useful for songs with very few steps in the Mana field on Easy such as On Cue (6th floor, Verdant Storm; I think also the 5th floor guardian, iirc) or just in general early on when you don't have as big of a mana pool or vs. the 4th Guardian's mana drain.

I did a random test run on Easy yesterday (I was inspired by your interest in running it Smiley

) and was able to beat the game in maybe 3-4 hours (final spellset = Arclight, Barrier, Spheric, Slash, Brazen Shard, Trigger Boost 1; probably not optimal, I might try subbing Spheric for one of the DoTs due to high armor on the Guardians *shrug*), but that was also doing a bit of research and having to reference the recipes somewhat often, as well as grind a bit for Aaron (7th Guardian) even after making the Lightwave Blade (probably one of the best weapons, but it takes so much extra resources that double up on the Key for the same floor you receive the recipe on).

Ended up level 27 by the end of that run, compared to my ending level 29 on my original Hard playthrough from 2 years ago. That Hard run, though, included crafting every last thing, including the Iridium, so there was probably a lot more grinding and overall experience earned to reach that level (and there're also a lot of weaopns and accessories that aren't desync'd).

Another thing I noticed is that the timing window for this game is actually decently large, like maybe the size of an Excellent in In the Groove or a Great in DDR. It's big enough that, if you hit one arrow a little early, switch fields, and then hit another equally timed arrow in the other lane very slightly late, you can get both.

It's a bit harder to do this on higher BPM songs (and only really applicable on Easy, as there are too many arrows to hit across all 3 fields on harder difficulties), but it's very useful for songs with very few steps in the Mana field on Easy such as On Cue (6th floor, Verdant Storm; I think also the 5th floor guardian, iirc) or just in general early on when you don't have as big of a mana pool or vs. the 4th Guardian's mana drain.

I did a random test run on Easy yesterday (I was inspired by your interest in running it :) ) and was able to beat the game in maybe 3-4 hours (final spellset = Arclight, Barrier, Spheric, Slash, Brazen Shard, Trigger Boost 1; probably not optimal, I might try subbing Spheric for one of the DoTs due to high armor on the Guardians *shrug*), but that was also doing a bit of research and having to reference the recipes somewhat often, as well as grind a bit for Aaron (7th Guardian) even after making the Lightwave Blade (probably one of the best weapons, but it takes so much extra resources that double up on the Key for the same floor you receive the recipe on).

Ended up level 27 by the end of that run, compared to my ending level 29 on my original Hard playthrough from 2 years ago. That Hard run, though, included crafting every last thing, including the Iridium, so there was probably a lot more grinding and overall experience earned to reach that level (and there're also a lot of weaopns and accessories that aren't desync'd).

ElaineSpencer

2014-07-04 06:19:30 pm

I'm only as crazy as you think...

Yeah, I've noticed the thing with the timing window, though I never get it consistently. I find it easier to execute in higher BPM tracks (though it is relatively easy during On Cue).

I still need notes for Floor 7, but I'm currently sitting at Level 20 (Took 3 times to get Key the Sixth synthed, so downlevelled, but eh).

Current spellset is:

1 - Arclight
2 - Spheric (Nice early on, doesn't help much later so mainly filler)
3 - Siren Call (Filler)
4 - Miasma (DoT is nice)
5 - Convert 2
6 - Barrier (Filler, considering swapping for Azure Wind)

Adelle gave me some issues with the high HP, so it took a handful of attempts. I actually tried crafting the Inhibitor for the Sixth because I forgot they don't really help in boss fights.

I've also been grinding out enemies so I can note what drops from who, and what drop(s) could be userful. I think I have about 2.5 - 3 hours of game time right now, with a handful of fumbles (finishing off enemies at the last second and such). 3-4 sounds about right, though if RNG is nice enough with drops and synths it could probably be cut down to 2-3 (maybe, just a guess).

Yeah, I've noticed the thing with the timing window, though I never get it consistently. I find it easier to execute in higher BPM tracks (though it is relatively easy during On Cue).

I still need notes for Floor 7, but I'm currently sitting at Level 20 (Took 3 times to get Key the Sixth synthed, so downlevelled, but eh).

Current spellset is:

1 - Arclight
2 - Spheric (Nice early on, doesn't help much later so mainly filler)
3 - Siren Call (Filler)
4 - Miasma (DoT is nice)
5 - Convert 2
6 - Barrier (Filler, considering swapping for Azure Wind)

Adelle gave me some issues with the high HP, so it took a handful of attempts. I actually tried crafting the Inhibitor for the Sixth because I forgot they don't really help in boss fights.

I've also been grinding out enemies so I can note what drops from who, and what drop(s) could be userful. I think I have about 2.5 - 3 hours of game time right now, with a handful of fumbles (finishing off enemies at the last second and such). 3-4 sounds about right, though if RNG is nice enough with drops and synths it could probably be cut down to 2-3 (maybe, just a guess).

ElaineSpencer

Edit history:

ElaineSpencer: 2014-07-05 07:58:23 pm

2014-07-05 07:49:27 pm

I'm only as crazy as you think...

Alright, notes have been taken and I'm going to try a quick run on stream to see where I can optimize routing and such. See you guys in a few hours with an update~

UPDATE: 3:51:25

Had a ton of difficulty with fights after unlocking the 7th door, which cost me an hour.

Sub 3 can easily be achieved.

ElaineSpencer

Edit history:

ElaineSpencer: 2014-07-06 01:18:49 pm

2014-07-06 01:12:36 pm

I'm only as crazy as you think...

Did another run just now (without dying repeatedly to the last three bosses), and made sure to grind a little before going after Aaron. Here's the result:

EDIT: VOD can be found here.

I'm pretty sure sub 2:35 (if not sub 2:30) is possible, it just needs some more optimizing (and less screwing up.) I failed a handful of spells (the guardian effect of floor 7 is ugh) and choked on the last two bosses, so some easy improvements can be made.

ElaineSpencer

2014-07-07 09:43:40 am

I'm only as crazy as you think...

I just found a potential time save:

On the sixth floor, I usually synth the Lightweave Blade.

+14 Offense, +3 Defense, +12 HP, +6 MP

The concern on the seventh floor is offense, the other stats aren't really an issue.

With that said, grabbing Malignant Cancer (getting an Extract in your inventory, going to the weapons tab and pressing CAN comma at once) is probably a safer bet. It's faster, and is +20 offense.

I may try a run today or tomorrow to see how it goes, but with Malignant Cancer being the second best in the game (getting the best weapon requires crafting Iridium and dealing with UBER PIANO JAM) it should be a decent save. I'm going to guess sub 2:30 next run, if all goes according to plan.

Th3Hatt3r

2014-07-17 12:28:50 pm

Remembered something that I forgot

Very nice guide on speed running this game. Here's what I can contribute.

Critical's are not random and actually could be manipulated if we knew exactly why it happens.
As far I see, Crits occurs when you cast a spell and press arrows perfectly.
^faulty accusation due some things I notice.
1. their times when I didnt believe I didnt hit every key perfectly but still got a crit
2. when doing a run in tutorial battle 2, I crit the enemy 2 dif times but it gave 2 dif dmg 14 and 17. maybe a *bug*
3. when I do believe I perfectly press every arrows, it won't crit for what i believe didnt synch up with the music.

Most of the time I get a criticals when the timing matches well with the music. Not too sure if this is relevant but i get the feeling the pulsation of the field borders time the crit but their no way of me proving that true or not.

Th3Hatt3r

Edit history:

Th3Hatt3r: 2014-07-17 07:03:07 pm

2014-07-17 07:00:24 pm

Remembered something that I forgot

This run wasn't too good but it did improve on certain things like using goblet drop as main accessory from the monotheist drop. Tooo MANY NO DROPS T-T

Also, have extreme amounts of crits on spells; All skill no cheats.
Choice of enemies 1-5, I went from right to left because make it less confusing when picking the right battle and the enemies that are first pick becomes much easier to beat due to the over-leveling after beating the tougher battle. this doesnt work on floors 6-7 because they're too tanky.

Most of the run was on keyboard, the usage I used with the mouse was to click the timer that for whatever reason doesn't want to work with me. Anyway hopefully you can beat it and thanks for setting up a way to play this game efficiently ElaineSpencer. heres the highlight of it http://www.twitch.tv/th3hatt3r/c/4685944

I have no name

2014-07-18 03:25:33 am

Obscure games ftw

Just gonna drop this here: http://www.twitch.tv/elainespencer/c/4663598
2:04:57 from a couple days before you set that. Just 7 seconds short Tongue

ElaineSpencer

2014-07-18 03:29:47 am

I'm only as crazy as you think...

I'll also be trying a run tomorrow maybe, since I'm looking to improve. Sub 2 is definitely possible, sum of bests is currently 1:55:xx.

I typically do all my menuing (skip scenes, etc) with mouse, and try to be at least a high Level 23 before Piano Jam. In the 2:04 run I was level 25, If I recall correctly. Sub 2 would have probably been achieved if I didn't screw up on Stage 7 Guardian Effect all the time.

Th3Hatt3r

2014-07-18 02:34:08 pm

Remembered something that I forgot

Got a new Pb and it 1:47:56.0 . I got less rng no drops and I went through 1-5 fairly easily. Lost tons of time on floor 6 boss. Curse you ->s. besides that everything went smoothly and extremely lucky. http://www.twitch.tv/th3hatt3r/c/4691746

ElaineSpencer

2014-07-18 03:10:24 pm

I'm only as crazy as you think...

Quote from Th3Hatt3r:

Got a new Pb and it 1:47:56.0 . I got less rng no drops and I went through 1-5 fairly easily. Lost tons of time on floor 6 boss. Curse you ->s. besides that everything went smoothly and extremely lucky. http://www.twitch.tv/th3hatt3r/c/4691746

Grats! Looks amazing~

Tried doing a no reset run offstream earlier (framedrops and picnics were too stronk), and had a decent 1-5... Then lost 13 seconds at 6 and 19 at 7. Lots of RNG trolling with Synths and drops as well.

ElaineSpencer

2014-07-30 05:29:33 am

I'm only as crazy as you think...

I've made a route for 100% (with some suggestions from IHNN). It's basically "Do the Any% route up until Mir, backtrack to grab all material, synth everything but Iridium, fight Mir, load game, learn spells, do the Huh?

floor Piano Jam, and fight Mir again."

Notes can be found here. Not sure when I'll try the run as it could take up to 5+ hours if RNG turns its nasty head, but it will happen sometime in the upcoming weeks.

Emptyeye

2014-10-05 03:43:13 pm

Talk to the Hand

Neat! I just played through this game (On Hard), getting all the achievements and everything (I had to look up the Iris achievement, I'll admit). Going to play through it again on Spasmodic and see if I can do it.

I'm curious what you use for your arrow controls, or if you just use the default arrow keys. I play on a laptop, so mouse isn't really an option for me (I guess it could be, but then I run into the issue of finding a good surface for the mouse). Also, it's too bad you need the Extract before you can get the Malignant Cancer, as having that right away would make the early parts of the game so much faster.

Also wondering if anything ever came of that 100% run, as that sounds pretty interesting too.