Why exactly are we buying the anchor?
I'm impressed with how much info we have on this game already. I've never speed run a game (except for a once-off FF7 "speed" run for charity - ended up being, oh....3 hours shy of WR at the time o_O) and I've been hyped as heck for this game for a long time coming. Now that it's out, I'm having so much fun with it I've decided to make it the first game I will run (any%). I haven't discovered much on my own that hasn't already either been listed here or been debunked.
One thing I can say that I see missing from a lot of the videos is Jumping to start with full momentum. As someone mentioned in the thread previously, there is a short period of acceleration when SK starts running. Jumping skips this and immediately starts SK out at top speed. This is most prominent at the very beginning of a stage, after climbing a ladder, or after being forced to swing your shovel while standing on the ground. Remember to jump wherever possible after all of these occasions.
Currently learning Specter Knight's stage. I have a few tips that I haven't seen utilized yet, but unfortunately can't record at the moment. Therefore, screenshots.
General tip is to be a bit more liberal with your Flare Wand ]in Specter Knight's stage. There are a ton of mana pots laying around.
This guy can be shoved out of your way by a single hit of the Flare Wand. Give him a tap as soon as the platform lowers enough and he'll politely step out of the way, no need to kill him.
The frog here, as well as most frogs in this level, can be killed with a shovel swing immediately followed by a flare. The skeleton following him is best deal with by moving close enough for him to swing, then pogoing him. He'll move with the pogo allowing you to kill him without sacrificing any mobility, and since pogoing keeps you off the ground, the platform will be higher at the end of this sprint.
This room here. The first frog will jump either toward or away. If he jumps toward, you can jump to meet him midair and kill him with a shovel+flare combo before you hit the ground. If he jumps away, dealing with him is messier. The important thing in this room though is the Skull. You can get it out of the pit with good timing by jumping in and landing to the right side, hitting it, then quickly jumping and hitting it again at the peak of its trajectory. It's a little precise but not super hard. However, the frog in the middle is forever an incorrigible asshole.
If anyone found these tips helpful (they're mostly optimization), let me know and I'll make with more as I find 'em.
One question: for the checkpoints we're breaking, do we only bother with the large gem in the center, or do we stick around for a second to collect all of the extra gems that fly out?
One thing I can say that I see missing from a lot of the videos is Jumping to start with full momentum. As someone mentioned in the thread previously, there is a short period of acceleration when SK starts running. Jumping skips this and immediately starts SK out at top speed. This is most prominent at the very beginning of a stage, after climbing a ladder, or after being forced to swing your shovel while standing on the ground. Remember to jump wherever possible after all of these occasions.
Currently learning Specter Knight's stage. I have a few tips that I haven't seen utilized yet, but unfortunately can't record at the moment. Therefore, screenshots.
General tip is to be a bit more liberal with your Flare Wand ]in Specter Knight's stage. There are a ton of mana pots laying around.
This guy can be shoved out of your way by a single hit of the Flare Wand. Give him a tap as soon as the platform lowers enough and he'll politely step out of the way, no need to kill him.
The frog here, as well as most frogs in this level, can be killed with a shovel swing immediately followed by a flare. The skeleton following him is best deal with by moving close enough for him to swing, then pogoing him. He'll move with the pogo allowing you to kill him without sacrificing any mobility, and since pogoing keeps you off the ground, the platform will be higher at the end of this sprint.
This room here. The first frog will jump either toward or away. If he jumps toward, you can jump to meet him midair and kill him with a shovel+flare combo before you hit the ground. If he jumps away, dealing with him is messier. The important thing in this room though is the Skull. You can get it out of the pit with good timing by jumping in and landing to the right side, hitting it, then quickly jumping and hitting it again at the peak of its trajectory. It's a little precise but not super hard. However, the frog in the middle is forever an incorrigible asshole.
If anyone found these tips helpful (they're mostly optimization), let me know and I'll make with more as I find 'em.
One question: for the checkpoints we're breaking, do we only bother with the large gem in the center, or do we stick around for a second to collect all of the extra gems that fly out?