Ys 6: Ark of Napishtim (J)

2012-07-11 08:34:07 am

My controller is yours.

Segment # 3 has been up.

Segment # 4 is uploading and will be available within the next hour.

Can I please get some subscribers?! I put quite a bit of work into playing this game and editing the videos I make out of it.

level70steve

Edit history:

level70steve: 2012-07-12 10:19:04 pm

2012-07-12 10:18:48 pm

My controller is yours.

An update for the soul.

So far, I am about 3 segments ahead of YouTube. I have a segment where I did follow Bananamatic's way of leveling up quicker through the re-spawn of rock mines at Grana-Vallis, and then to warp out of there and save at Limewater.

Okay, and another segment where I went through Limewater to get Galba Shield and Galba Armor early - then leave there, and get as much Emel as possible from mud-slimes back at Grana-Vallis so I can level up Blirante after I get that.

Finally (and Korzic, this is for you, bro!), a Zonplas battle where an unexpected out-of-battlefield glitch allowed Adol to wipe out Zonplas! This wasn't even a TAS! And I still somehow unexpectedly glitched out of the falling Altar of Blirante! Unbelievable!!!!

To finish what I was posting, the post-Zonplas battle is where I upgrade the Blirante sword with the Emel I had before wandering off into the Ruins of Amnesia and I'll be staying put there.

The encoding process takes time, and I want to get these segments 480p Youtube-ready - because the Fraps videos themselves are too large and take more bandwidth. Stay tuned to this thread for the latest good old-fashioned updates!

An update for the soul.

So far, I am about 3 segments ahead of YouTube.  I have a segment where I did follow Bananamatic's way of leveling up quicker through the re-spawn of rock mines at Grana-Vallis, and then to warp out of there and save at Limewater.

Okay, and another segment where I went through Limewater to get Galba Shield and Galba Armor early - then leave there, and get as much Emel as possible from mud-slimes back at Grana-Vallis so I can level up Blirante after I get that.

Finally (and Korzic, this is for you, bro!), a Zonplas battle where an unexpected out-of-battlefield glitch allowed Adol to wipe out Zonplas!  This wasn't even a TAS!  And I still somehow unexpectedly glitched out of the falling Altar of Blirante!  Unbelievable!!!!

[img]http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/9674/vlcsnap2012071300h07m46.png[/img]

To finish what I was posting, the post-Zonplas battle is where I upgrade the Blirante sword with the Emel I had before wandering off into the Ruins of Amnesia and I'll be staying put there.

The encoding process takes time, and I want to get these segments 480p Youtube-ready - because the Fraps videos themselves are too large and take more bandwidth.  Stay tuned to this thread for the latest good old-fashioned updates!

level70steve

2012-07-14 11:23:08 am

My controller is yours.

I've been uploading some more segments lately, but I never got the chance to post them here as much as I been busy. I'm posting segments 5 - 8. What I realized is that it is unfortunate that the PC version of this game does not include Alma's Trials as it would in the PS2 version. Because of this, I have to find alternate ways of gaining Emel - in which I have. Not to mention, I am sacrificing a little extra time without overdoing it, just to try to get a faster result in the end. I can't just oppose Banamatic's run right off the bat, and that is because we are playing this same game on two different systems here.

Within the next few segments, I'll be hanging around Limewater Cave. And I just learned something new! I can easily make a LV7/LV8 Blirante sword act like a maxed LV11 sword if I constantly take hits from multiple acid slimes at Limewater. As long as I am on a higher LV and wearing Galba Shield and Galba Armor, each acid-slime hit can be worth 0 to 4 damage points a piece, so this sword does build up its magic this way, too. I'll be using this to my advantage.

I've been uploading some more segments lately, but I never got the chance to post them here as much as I been busy.  I'm posting segments 5 - 8.  What I realized is that it is unfortunate that the PC version of this game does not include Alma's Trials as it would in the PS2 version.  Because of this, I have to find alternate ways of gaining Emel - in which I have.  Not to mention, I am sacrificing a little extra time without overdoing it, just to try to get a faster result in the end.  I can't just oppose Banamatic's run right off the bat, and that is because we are playing this same game on two different systems here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsKA5HoEhZY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rbaICtZfDIQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTTyYkzjziI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=101ywR6lXuw

Within the next few segments, I'll be hanging around Limewater Cave.  And I just learned something new!  I can easily make a LV7/LV8 Blirante sword act like a maxed LV11 sword if I constantly take hits from multiple acid slimes at Limewater.  As long as I am on a higher LV and wearing Galba Shield and Galba Armor, each acid-slime hit can be worth 0 to 4 damage points a piece, so this sword does build up its magic this way, too.  I'll be using this to my advantage.

Korzic

Edit history:

Korzic: 2012-07-15 01:09:28 pm

2012-07-15 01:02:30 pm

Hmm, well, the play honestly looks a bit sloppy in some parts, but your Youtube descriptions did say it wasn't an official run, so that's forgivable for the time being.

Anyway, as mentioned before (at least, I think I did =p) killing normal enemies instead of avoiding them might prove to be beneficial. In the case of the Grana-Vallis Mountain, you may have a case for skipping a lot of them due to the high EXP the mines give, but you did skip a lot of the early ones, which would've been easy EXP, even if eventually stopping and grinding at a set spot is eventually needed (as I told Bananamatic, I was able to reach the required level for Zonplas just by killing everything in my path, with little to no grinding).

Speaking of the Grana-Vallis Mountain, I believe it's faster to use the first several flying enemies to get the required Emel for Livart for Zonplas, instead of the wolves. You may be missing out on some EXP this way (but then again, the mines should easily fix that), and I'm fairly confident it'll be faster despite backtracking (all you need is full magic at the beginning of the mountain, and 1 screen of enemies for the needed Emel (with luck, of course).

Galba Shield/Armor, I'm still not convinced it's worth it. Sure, you can get some extra attacks in on Zonplas, but I don't think it'd save nearly enough time - it all depends on how much it'd save for Ud-Meiyu, though I can't imagine it being very much (for reference, Bananamatic's Zonplas battle was about the same length as yours). Neat little glitch, though. Is it easy to replicate, or no? Just wondering if precise positioning is needed, as I'd like to test it on the PS2 version sometime (if it wasn't already fixed, that is). Also, I wonder if there's any screen transitions it might lead to (don't know where one might be in the middle of this battle, but who knows...?).

Speaking of Ud-Meiyu, I overlooked something on that glitch page. It seems that using a charged Blirante attack at a certain position (take a look at the page, it's tough to put into words), you can damage him before the battle begins. Could be useful, maybe not. Also, I believe it's saying that it's unknown whether or not this works in the first PC version (same for the Orjugan glitch, I believe).

No comments about your choices for Emel gathering, as I'm not sure what the ideal spots are for the PC version. I will say that you'd likely want a spot that gives the best Emel drop, ideally coupled with decent EXP. One also has to take into account just how long the enemies need to be defeated; if it's several hits, you may consider weaker enemies that drop the same amount.

With regards to the magic charging, it seems that your attacks were filling it up faster, as opposed to the enemies'. Not saying that it didn't work (it did, but not as well), but maybe it's like Boost mode in YsF/YsO: more damage = faster charge time (then again, maybe not). Actually, it probably wouldn't matter much, as I think Blirante's extension (hold the attack button) would be just as effective in taking out the enemies you did in the Ruins of Amnesia (dunno if that's an ideal spot or not, though). But then again, maybe the Eldian Orb will help. Only question is, is it worth it?

EDIT: Just saw the Ud-Meiyu segment. He should be a lot easier by using Blirante's extension. Decent number of hits, plus faster magic refill, I believe. Also, you got the Rainbow Fragment later on. I don't think this is strictly necessary (you can kill the Adol clones without it), but it may or may not still be useful.

Whew, this post was longer than I thought it'd be, but there you go. So much things to take into account for planning an RPG speedrun...

Hmm, well, the play honestly looks a bit sloppy in some parts, but your Youtube descriptions did say it wasn't an official run, so that's forgivable for the time being.

Anyway, as mentioned before (at least, I think I did =p) killing normal enemies instead of avoiding them might prove to be beneficial.  In the case of the Grana-Vallis Mountain, you may have a case for skipping a lot of them due to the high EXP the mines give, but you did skip a lot of the early ones, which would've been easy EXP, even if eventually stopping and grinding at a set spot is eventually needed (as I told Bananamatic, I was able to reach the required level for Zonplas just by killing everything in my path, with little to no grinding).

Speaking of the Grana-Vallis Mountain, I believe it's faster to use the first several flying enemies to get the required Emel for Livart for Zonplas, instead of the wolves.  You may be missing out on some EXP this way (but then again, the mines should easily fix that), and I'm fairly confident it'll be faster despite backtracking (all you need is full magic at the beginning of the mountain, and 1 screen of enemies for the needed Emel (with luck, of course).

Galba Shield/Armor, I'm still not convinced it's worth it.  Sure, you can get some extra attacks in on Zonplas, but I don't think it'd save nearly enough time - it all depends on how much it'd save for Ud-Meiyu, though I can't imagine it being very much (for reference, Bananamatic's Zonplas battle was about the same length as yours).  Neat little glitch, though.  Is it easy to replicate, or no?  Just wondering if precise positioning is needed, as I'd like to test it on the PS2 version sometime (if it wasn't already fixed, that is).  Also, I wonder if there's any screen transitions it might lead to (don't know where one might be in the middle of this battle, but who knows...?).

Speaking of Ud-Meiyu, I overlooked something on that glitch page.  It seems that using a charged Blirante attack at a certain position (take a look at the page, it's tough to put into words), you can damage him before the battle begins.  Could be useful, maybe not.  Also, I believe it's saying that it's unknown whether or not this works in the first PC version (same for the Orjugan glitch, I believe).

No comments about your choices for Emel gathering, as I'm not sure what the ideal spots are for the PC version.  I will say that you'd likely want a spot that gives the best Emel drop, ideally coupled with decent EXP.  One also has to take into account just how long the enemies need to be defeated; if it's several hits, you may consider weaker enemies that drop the same amount.

With regards to the magic charging, it seems that your attacks were filling it up faster, as opposed to the enemies'.  Not saying that it didn't work (it did, but not as well), but maybe it's like Boost mode in YsF/YsO: more damage = faster charge time (then again, maybe not).  Actually, it probably wouldn't matter much, as I think Blirante's extension (hold the attack button) would be just as effective in taking out the enemies you did in the Ruins of Amnesia (dunno if that's an ideal spot or not, though).  But then again, maybe the Eldian Orb will help.  Only question is, is it worth it?

EDIT: Just saw the Ud-Meiyu segment.  He should be a lot easier by using Blirante's extension.  Decent number of hits, plus faster magic refill, I believe.  Also, you got the Rainbow Fragment later on.  I don't think this is strictly necessary (you can kill the Adol clones without it), but it may or may not still be useful.

Whew, this post was longer than I thought it'd be, but there you go.  So much things to take into account for planning an RPG speedrun...

level70steve

Edit history:

level70steve: 2012-07-17 12:24:50 am

level70steve: 2012-07-17 12:22:43 am

level70steve: 2012-07-17 12:19:22 am

level70steve: 2012-07-17 12:12:32 am

level70steve: 2012-07-17 12:03:48 am

2012-07-17 12:02:35 am

My controller is yours.

I got a little bit to cover, so I guess I'll drop by again before I go to bed. Hopefully, I'll get this post complete before I pass out.

As much as I battled rock mines at Grana-Vallis, it was difficult to disarm most rock mines along the way for as much as I get near them. However, a room with several rock mines (the same room where the Wing of Alma is obtained) and one nearby the midpoint are the only two safe places I know. The others along the path will require total manipulation and can inflict serious damage points upon explosion. It will take time for me to learn how to promptly disarm a rock mine before it instantly or nearly kills Adol.

Quote:

killing normal enemies instead of avoiding them might prove to be beneficial. In the case of the Grana-Vallis Mountain, you may have a case for skipping a lot of them due to the high EXP the mines give, but you did skip a lot of the early ones, which would've been easy EXP, even if eventually stopping and grinding at a set spot is eventually needed (as I told Bananamatic, I was able to reach the required level for Zonplas just by killing everything in my path, with little to no grinding).

--------------------------------------

All I could find at Grana-Vallis were lightning bugs in most places along with ones that Zonplas lays out. Are those the ones you're talking about?!

Quote:

I believe it's faster to use the first several flying enemies to get the required Emel for Livart for Zonplas, instead of the wolves.

--------------------------------------

I already studied that if you are not wearing the proper armor/shield, damage points received from Zonplas will seem more critical. If I have to buy a large quantity of healing products to keep Adol in the game, that's one thing. I thought it never hurts to take on bosses using armor/shields that were obtained from a distance the way my WIP's appear to be.

Quote:

Galba Shield/Armor, I'm still not convinced it's worth it. Sure, you can get some extra attacks in on Zonplas, but I don't think it'd save nearly enough time - it all depends on how much it'd save for Ud-Meiyu, though I can't imagine it being very much

--------------------------------------

For the most part, because the unpatched version is 1.0.0.0, it is important to understand luck and positioning when going outside the falling Altar while facing Zonplas. Because of this, the answer is no, it's not often as easy as it looks.

Quote:

Neat little glitch, though. Is it easy to replicate, or no?

--------------------------------------

Hey, I haven't posted segment 9 yet, lol. But in a way, I did not review Bananamatic's battle against Ud-Meiyu until after I created video footage of me taking on the same boss myself. I easily forgot that I was able to use charged Blirante attacks as long as its magic meter was not full. D'oh!

Quote:

Just saw the Ud-Meiyu segment. He should be a lot easier by using Blirante's extension. Decent number of hits, plus faster magic refill, I believe. Also, you got the Rainbow Fragment later on. I don't think this is strictly necessary (you can kill the Adol clones without it), but it may or may not still be useful.

--------------------------------------

It was extremely difficult to reach a certain platform just to even get to Majunun's room in Amnesia. Though this Orb will recharge sword magic quick, the swords themselves can recharge as quick as if it was when the Orb was equipped. For an increased rate of recharging sword magic without the Orb being equipped, each sword alone has to be upgraded to max LV11 and Adol has to hold it. It is questionable that I need the Orb until I see something I didn't know about.

Quote:

But then again, maybe the Eldian Orb will help. Only question is, is it worth it?

--------------------------------------

One known place I can think of (since the PC version doesn't have Alma's Trials) was a section of Limewater that has a pack of 5 tarantulas - going back to what I said earlier. They drop a handful of Emel and Wild Fowl Meat. Equipping an Emel Mallet allows even more Emel to be obtained on pick-up, in which I believe would take most guesswork out of determining how much is needed for each sword upgrade. This appeared to be another good place to stock up on EXP, because I only went from LV32 to LV40 in under 13 minutes. Cutting down time to level up here (stopping at LV 36, 37, 38, etc.) to me is what can make any battle against Orjugan a living [hello]!

Quote:

I will say that you'd likely want a spot that gives the best Emel drop, ideally coupled with decent EXP. One also has to take into account just how long the enemies need to be defeated; if it's several hits, you may consider weaker enemies that drop the same amount.

--------------------------------------

Okay, now I am almost knocked out asleep. 2 in the morning, I know. I am now posting segments 9 to 11 to catch everyone else up. Please stay out of trouble, everyone. Smiley

I got a little bit to cover, so I guess I'll drop by again before I go to bed.  Hopefully, I'll get this post complete before I pass out.

As much as I battled rock mines at Grana-Vallis, it was difficult to disarm most rock mines along the way for as much as I get near them.  However, a room with several rock mines (the same room where the Wing of Alma is obtained) and one nearby the midpoint are the only two safe places I know.  The others along the path will require total manipulation and can inflict serious damage points upon explosion.  It will take time for me to learn how to promptly disarm a rock mine before it instantly or nearly kills Adol.

[quote]killing normal enemies instead of avoiding them might prove to be beneficial.  In the case of the Grana-Vallis Mountain, you may have a case for skipping a lot of them due to the high EXP the mines give, but you did skip a lot of the early ones, which would've been easy EXP, even if eventually stopping and grinding at a set spot is eventually needed (as I told Bananamatic, I was able to reach the required level for Zonplas just by killing everything in my path, with little to no grinding).[/quote]

--------------------------------------

All I could find at Grana-Vallis were lightning bugs in most places along with ones that Zonplas lays out.  Are those the ones you're talking about?!

[quote]I believe it's faster to use the first several flying enemies to get the required Emel for Livart for Zonplas, instead of the wolves.[/quote]

--------------------------------------

I already studied that if you are not wearing the proper armor/shield, damage points received from Zonplas will seem more critical.  If I have to buy a large quantity of healing products to keep Adol in the game, that's one thing.  I thought it never hurts to take on bosses using armor/shields that were obtained from a distance the way my WIP's appear to be.

[quote]Galba Shield/Armor, I'm still not convinced it's worth it.  Sure, you can get some extra attacks in on Zonplas, but I don't think it'd save nearly enough time - it all depends on how much it'd save for Ud-Meiyu, though I can't imagine it being very much[/quote]

--------------------------------------

For the most part, because the unpatched version is 1.0.0.0, it is important to understand luck and positioning when going outside the falling Altar while facing Zonplas.  Because of this, the answer is no, it's not often as easy as it looks.

[quote]Neat little glitch, though.  Is it easy to replicate, or no?[/quote]

--------------------------------------

Hey, I haven't posted segment 9 yet, lol.  But in a way, I did not review Bananamatic's battle against Ud-Meiyu until after I created video footage of me taking on the same boss myself.  I easily forgot that I was able to use charged Blirante attacks as long as its magic meter was not full.  D'oh!

[quote]Just saw the Ud-Meiyu segment.  He should be a lot easier by using Blirante's extension.  Decent number of hits, plus faster magic refill, I believe.  Also, you got the Rainbow Fragment later on.  I don't think this is strictly necessary (you can kill the Adol clones without it), but it may or may not still be useful.[/quote]

--------------------------------------

It was extremely difficult to reach a certain platform just to even get to Majunun's room in Amnesia.  Though this Orb will recharge sword magic quick, the swords themselves can recharge as quick as if it was when the Orb was equipped.  For an increased rate of recharging sword magic without the Orb being equipped, each sword alone has to be upgraded to max LV11 and Adol has to hold it.  It is questionable that I need the Orb until I see something I didn't know about.

[quote]But then again, maybe the Eldian Orb will help.  Only question is, is it worth it?[/quote]

--------------------------------------

One known place I can think of (since the PC version doesn't have Alma's Trials) was a section of Limewater that has a pack of 5 tarantulas - going back to what I said earlier.  They drop a handful of Emel and Wild Fowl Meat.  Equipping an Emel Mallet allows even more Emel to be obtained on pick-up, in which I believe would take most guesswork out of determining how much is needed for each sword upgrade.  This appeared to be another good place to stock up on EXP, because I only went from LV32 to LV40 in under 13 minutes.  Cutting down time to level up here (stopping at LV 36, 37, 38, etc.) to me is what can make any battle against Orjugan a living [hello]!

[quote]I will say that you'd likely want a spot that gives the best Emel drop, ideally coupled with decent EXP.  One also has to take into account just how long the enemies need to be defeated; if it's several hits, you may consider weaker enemies that drop the same amount.[/quote]

--------------------------------------

Okay, now I am almost knocked out asleep.  2 in the morning, I know.  I am now posting segments 9 to 11 to catch everyone else up.  Please stay out of trouble, everyone. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE7ol31PEXI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBZhg7-u3RE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awnW7cB5H8s

Korzic

2012-07-17 01:14:42 pm

Quote from DoC `:

As much as I battled rock mines at Grana-Vallis, it was difficult to disarm most rock mines along the way for as much as I get near them. However, a room with several rock mines (the same room where the Wing of Alma is obtained) and one nearby the midpoint are the only two safe places I know. The others along the path will require total manipulation and can inflict serious damage points upon explosion. It will take time for me to learn how to promptly disarm a rock mine before it instantly or nearly kills Adol.

Downward thrusts should be good for that. Not 100% foolproof, but a well-positioned downward thrust should do enough hits/damage.

Quote:

All I could find at Grana-Vallis were lightning bugs in most places along with ones that Zonplas lays out. Are those the ones you're talking about?!

Yep, those are the ones. The very first screen has 8-9 or so you can kill fairly quickly; you just need to get lucky with the Emel drops.

Quote:

I already studied that if you are not wearing the proper armor/shield, damage points received from Zonplas will seem more critical. If I have to buy a large quantity of healing products to keep Adol in the game, that's one thing. I thought it never hurts to take on bosses using armor/shields that were obtained from a distance the way my WIP's appear to be.

Certainly early Galba Shield/Armor will make Zonplas easier, but is it faster? I very much doubt it. Yesterday I fought Zonplas again with Bananamatic's setup, and while it was luck reliant, it was very much doable, without healing items. Heck, I even learned that, provided he's low enough to hit, you can damage him fairly safely even as he does that one "dust projectile" attack (sorry, I don't really know how else to describe it). However, as with most (if not all) bosses, a few criticals is very helpful in taking him down quickly. I think this is especially true for Orjugan at lower levels (if you're segmenting a run, may as well try and get some good luck).

Quote:

It was extremely difficult to reach a certain platform just to even get to Majunun's room in Amnesia. Though this Orb will recharge sword magic quick, the swords themselves can recharge as quick as if it was when the Orb was equipped. For an increased rate of recharging sword magic without the Orb being equipped, each sword alone has to be upgraded to max LV11 and Adol has to hold it. It is questionable that I need the Orb until I see something I didn't know about.

It's not that hard, you just need to learn the Dash Jump if you haven't already. I see a lot of people complaining about it, but it's not so bad, IMO - you just need to practice it a bit (myself, I can do it about ~75% of the time I want to, which considering it's awkward button combination, isn't that bad). If you don't already know, you just tap the desired direction, the attack button immediately afterwards (he should dash slash forward a bit), and then jump.

While I too have my doubts as to whether or not it's worth it (for what it's worth, I wouldn't expect to have a Level 11 sword in a speedrun), it's just another dash jump away from the Galba Hand (which you neglected to get - that's about +3 levels, in terms of STR).

Quote:

One known place I can think of (since the PC version doesn't have Alma's Trials) was a section of Limewater that has a pack of 5 tarantulas - going back to what I said earlier. They drop a handful of Emel and Wild Fowl Meat. Equipping an Emel Mallet allows even more Emel to be obtained on pick-up, in which I believe would take most guesswork out of determining how much is needed for each sword upgrade. This appeared to be another good place to stock up on EXP, because I only went from LV32 to LV40 in under 13 minutes. Cutting down time to level up here (stopping at LV 36, 37, 38, etc.) to me is what can make any battle against Orjugan a living [hello]!

Hmm, for the Emel Mallet, I believe there's a Capla Water in the Ruins of Amnesia. I want to say it's in the same room as the extra accessory slot, the "shortcut path" through that room (quite tricky, though).

Also, not directly related, but your Youtube description said you tried the Blirante extension on the slimes, but it didn't work as well. I found it to work just fine with the setup Bananamatic had after Ud-Meiyu (took them out in one or two hits). So, that leads me to believe that your Ruins of Amnesia Emel grinding could be saved until then (Hmm, did you go back to town after the Ruins grinding? If so, you can probably ignore this.) More EXP, and more Emel this way. Oh, that reminds me, I'm not so sure running around grouping the enemies together is faster than just killing them as you see them. Sure, it's nice to use the charged Blirante magic to wipe them all out at once, but a Blirante extension makes short work of them, even if it does hit less of them. Would also save you the trouble of taking damage to recharge the magic, which IMO, is just one more reason to skip/save the Galba Shield/Armor for later.

Other than that, I can't really comment further without more testing (and honestly, testing a game like this is quite the headache).

[quote="DoC `"]As much as I battled rock mines at Grana-Vallis, it was difficult to disarm most rock mines along the way for as much as I get near them.  However, a room with several rock mines (the same room where the Wing of Alma is obtained) and one nearby the midpoint are the only two safe places I know.  The others along the path will require total manipulation and can inflict serious damage points upon explosion.  It will take time for me to learn how to promptly disarm a rock mine before it instantly or nearly kills Adol.[/quote]
Downward thrusts should be good for that.  Not 100% foolproof, but a well-positioned downward thrust should do enough hits/damage.

[quote]All I could find at Grana-Vallis were lightning bugs in most places along with ones that Zonplas lays out.  Are those the ones you're talking about?![/quote]
Yep, those are the ones.  The very first screen has 8-9 or so you can kill fairly quickly; you just need to get lucky with the Emel drops.

[quote]I already studied that if you are not wearing the proper armor/shield, damage points received from Zonplas will seem more critical.  If I have to buy a large quantity of healing products to keep Adol in the game, that's one thing.  I thought it never hurts to take on bosses using armor/shields that were obtained from a distance the way my WIP's appear to be.[/quote]
Certainly early Galba Shield/Armor will make Zonplas easier, but is it faster?  I very much doubt it.  Yesterday I fought Zonplas again with Bananamatic's setup, and while it was luck reliant, it was very much doable, without healing items.  Heck, I even learned that, provided he's low enough to hit, you can damage him fairly safely even as he does that one "dust projectile" attack (sorry, I don't really know how else to describe it).  However, as with most (if not all) bosses, a few criticals is very helpful in taking him down quickly.  I think this is especially true for Orjugan at lower levels (if you're segmenting a run, may as well try and get some good luck).

[quote]It was extremely difficult to reach a certain platform just to even get to Majunun's room in Amnesia.  Though this Orb will recharge sword magic quick, the swords themselves can recharge as quick as if it was when the Orb was equipped.  For an increased rate of recharging sword magic without the Orb being equipped, each sword alone has to be upgraded to max LV11 and Adol has to hold it.  It is questionable that I need the Orb until I see something I didn't know about.[/quote]
It's not that hard, you just need to learn the Dash Jump if you haven't already.  I see a lot of people complaining about it, but it's not so bad, IMO - you just need to practice it a bit (myself, I can do it about ~75% of the time I want to, which considering it's awkward button combination, isn't that bad).  If you don't already know, you just tap the desired direction, the attack button immediately afterwards (he should dash slash forward a bit), and then jump.

While I too have my doubts as to whether or not it's worth it (for what it's worth, I wouldn't expect to have a Level 11 sword in a speedrun), it's just another dash jump away from the Galba Hand (which you neglected to get - that's about +3 levels, in terms of STR).

[quote]One known place I can think of (since the PC version doesn't have Alma's Trials) was a section of Limewater that has a pack of 5 tarantulas - going back to what I said earlier.  They drop a handful of Emel and Wild Fowl Meat.  Equipping an Emel Mallet allows even more Emel to be obtained on pick-up, in which I believe would take most guesswork out of determining how much is needed for each sword upgrade.  This appeared to be another good place to stock up on EXP, because I only went from LV32 to LV40 in under 13 minutes.  Cutting down time to level up here (stopping at LV 36, 37, 38, etc.) to me is what can make any battle against Orjugan a living [hello]![/quote]
Hmm, for the Emel Mallet, I believe there's a Capla Water in the Ruins of Amnesia.  I want to say it's in the same room as the extra accessory slot, the "shortcut path" through that room (quite tricky, though).

Also, not directly related, but your Youtube description said you tried the Blirante extension on the slimes, but it didn't work as well.  I found it to work just fine with the setup Bananamatic had after Ud-Meiyu (took them out in one or two hits).  So, that leads me to believe that your Ruins of Amnesia Emel grinding could be saved until then (Hmm, did you go back to town after the Ruins grinding?  If so, you can probably ignore this.)  More EXP, and more Emel this way.  Oh, that reminds me, I'm not so sure running around grouping the enemies together is faster than just killing them as you see them.  Sure, it's nice to use the charged Blirante magic to wipe them all out at once, but a Blirante extension makes short work of them, even if it does hit less of them.  Would also save you the trouble of taking damage to recharge the magic, which IMO, is just one more reason to skip/save the Galba Shield/Armor for later.

Other than that, I can't really comment further without more testing (and honestly, testing a game like this is quite the headache).

level70steve

Edit history:

level70steve: 2012-07-17 10:18:21 pm

2012-07-17 10:15:21 pm

My controller is yours.

Alright, now I am able to reach the four stones that lead to a pillar containing Galba Hand. I kept tearing up my keyboard trying to dash-jump and still couldn't get any results. But I was thinking long and hard about the effects of using an Ericcil sword. I had to pick a spot where Adol swings an Ericcil sword until its extension is fully charged (glowing yellow), then he shoots across. I managed to get there in this manner, and now maybe I can consider getting the Galba Hand in my next speedrun attempt. If I do, though, I still need to get the Ericcil sword at Zemeth Sanctum before hand. I never got the same result every time I attempted to do a charged Ericcil zoom from the Galba Hand pillar to a hidden layer a few steps north. But in a way, this Ericcil method works and I am pleased. Smiley

Quote from korzic:

It's not that hard, you just need to learn the Dash Jump if you haven't already. I see a lot of people complaining about it, but it's not so bad, IMO - you just need to practice it a bit (myself, I can do it about ~75% of the time I want to, which considering it's awkward button combination, isn't that bad). If you don't already know, you just tap the desired direction, the attack button immediately afterwards (he should dash slash forward a bit), and then jump.

Alright, now I am able to reach the four stones that lead to a pillar containing Galba Hand.  I kept tearing up my keyboard trying to dash-jump and still couldn't get any results.  But I was thinking long and hard about the effects of using an Ericcil sword.  I had to pick a spot where Adol swings an Ericcil sword until its extension is fully charged (glowing yellow), then he shoots across.  I managed to get there in this manner, and now maybe I can consider getting the Galba Hand in my next speedrun attempt.  If I do, though, I still need to get the Ericcil sword at Zemeth Sanctum before hand.  I never got the same result every time I attempted to do a charged Ericcil zoom from the Galba Hand pillar to a hidden layer a few steps north.  But in a way, this Ericcil method works and I am pleased. :)

[quote="korzic"]It's not that hard, you just need to learn the Dash Jump if you haven't already.  I see a lot of people complaining about it, but it's not so bad, IMO - you just need to practice it a bit (myself, I can do it about ~75% of the time I want to, which considering it's awkward button combination, isn't that bad).  If you don't already know, you just tap the desired direction, the attack button immediately afterwards (he should dash slash forward a bit), and then jump.[/quote]

level70steve

2012-07-22 07:41:24 pm

My controller is yours.

#12 is uploaded. There, you will also find a temporary Rapidshare link that points to a higher quality 600p video (unzip it first) for the benefit of gamers that crave high-quality viewing pleasure.

DarkKobold

2012-08-09 12:22:40 am

RPG TASer

Hi DoC! <3

Korzic

Edit history:

Korzic: 2012-10-22 08:29:24 pm

2012-10-22 08:11:06 pm

Found a minor sequence break in the Ruins of Kishgal (PS2 version, though I doubt that matters). At the part where you normally need to press 4 switches to raise 4 platforms to reach the end of the dungeon, turns out you can get away with only pressing two (well, actually, you can use just one, but I think that may be slower). The two you want to raise are the 1st and 3rd (from top to bottom). After hitting the switch for the third one, you go to where it raised (this should be possible without navigating the bottom of the screen, by jumping back up in much the same manner as this video (minor Ys Origin spoilers), though this is likely easier in the PC version than the PS2, due to being able to use the mouse), and then diagonally dash jump onto it. After that, a precise dash jump + immediate air slash afterwards can give you the distance to clear the gap where the 4th platform would be raised, which of course leads to the switch raising the first platform (actually, I'm not sure if the air slashes are necessary, but they seem to help). Anyway, this basically requires three precise dash jumps (the other method is raising the 2nd platform, and dash jumping + slashing across, but you have to navigate down, then back up one of those tower rooms), but the second Kishgal save point is nearby, so it shouldn't be too difficult to perform.

Hmm, I wonder if this is useful anywhere else (maybe could be used to help skip some platforms in Alma's Trials in the PS2 version - I know some are possible with a normal dash jump, but not sure which ones offhand). I also wonder if Ericcil's extension (the lightning dash thing) would work in clearing the gaps.

Found a minor sequence break in the Ruins of Kishgal (PS2 version, though I doubt that matters).  At the part where you normally need to press 4 switches to raise 4 platforms to reach the end of the dungeon, turns out you can get away with only pressing two (well, actually, you can use just one, but I think that may be slower).  The two you want to raise are the 1st and 3rd (from top to bottom).  After hitting the switch for the third one, you go to where it raised (this should be possible without navigating the bottom of the screen, by jumping back up in much the same manner as [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LHrDuIhMlcY]this[/url] video (minor Ys Origin spoilers), though this is likely easier in the PC version than the PS2, due to being able to use the mouse), and then diagonally dash jump onto it.  After that, a precise dash jump + immediate air slash afterwards can give you the distance to clear the gap where the 4th platform would be raised, which of course leads to the switch raising the first platform (actually, I'm not sure if the air slashes are necessary, but they seem to help).  Anyway, this basically requires three precise dash jumps (the other method is raising the 2nd platform, and dash jumping + slashing across, but you have to navigate down, then back up one of those tower rooms), but the second Kishgal save point is nearby, so it shouldn't be too difficult to perform.

Hmm, I wonder if this is useful anywhere else (maybe could be used to help skip some platforms in Alma's Trials in the PS2 version - I know some are possible with a normal dash jump, but not sure which ones offhand).  I also wonder if Ericcil's extension (the lightning dash thing) would work in clearing the gaps.

level70steve

2012-10-30 05:13:59 pm

My controller is yours.

Hey, everyone!

Sorry about the hiatus, again. Several problems included the loss of save files (*.nacci) and the unexpected destruction of my computer's Celeron D cpu last Wednesday morning - and that to me is a plus! I wanted to get rid of that stupid chip since after I used it the first 3 years, but it got rid of itself, thank goodness. I aim to get enough to put in a Pentium D chip as a replacement because I read that it is better than a Celeron D and my motherboard is compatible to run that. Not to mention the day the Celeron chip blew up, my motherboard still ran fine with no problems on that.

As for the segments I uploaded to YouTube, I will keep them on there to help me in my next attempt to cut down whatever time I missed. I might consider my next attempt another WIP since I still haven't speed-ran this game completely. And of course, there is still no telling when I will ever start again, but business has to be taken care of because that's what keeps all of us going. Thanks to everyone for your understanding and courage.

thumbsup

Hey, everyone!

Sorry about the hiatus, again.  Several problems included the loss of save files (*.nacci) and the unexpected destruction of my computer's Celeron D cpu last Wednesday morning - and that to me is a plus!  I wanted to get rid of that stupid chip since after I used it the first 3 years, but it got rid of itself, thank goodness.  I aim to get enough to put in a Pentium D chip as a replacement because I read that it is better than a Celeron D and my motherboard is compatible to run that.  Not to mention the day the Celeron chip blew up, my motherboard still ran fine with no problems on that.

As for the segments I uploaded to YouTube, I will keep them on there to help me in my next attempt to cut down whatever time I missed.  I might consider my next attempt another WIP since I still haven't speed-ran this game completely.  And of course, there is still no telling when I will ever start again, but business has to be taken care of because that's what keeps all of us going.  Thanks to everyone for your understanding and courage.

:thumbsup:

level70steve

2012-11-12 07:47:50 pm

My controller is yours.

I got some unexpected sad news to pass along.

Windows compatibility has became a pain-in-the-rear ever since Microsoft released Windows 8. Even running this in "compatibility mode" still prevents the program from running. The error that I keep getting is:

Quote:

Unsupported: Microsoft Windows (6.02.9200)
system.cpp(201)

Now that is just the standalone un-patched (J) version, though. Would I get these same problems if I ran and purchase this from Steam?! I still got a separate Windows 7 partition and it still runs okay on that as long as I opened it with AppLocale before hand, but I am still leaving this question up.

Korzic

2012-11-13 02:28:57 pm

I don't think there's a Steam version of Ys VI, is there (it's speculated that perhaps XSeed may do a Steam release of it, but that's just a rumor, and unlikely to be true at that)? I guess continue using Applocale (I don't know if using that would be acceptable for a SDA run, though), or change your regional and language settings to Japanese. Other than that, I've no clue what to tell you, as I don't use Windows 7/8.

level70steve

Edit history:

level70steve: 2012-12-09 08:37:36 pm

2012-12-09 08:00:32 pm

My controller is yours.

I haven't been speedrunning, but I been practicing quite a bit in Grana Vallis. I literally started off at level 9 constantly doing downward thrusts at rock mines. Then I level up at little bit quicker by re-spawning the Wing of Alma room where several rock mines are placed. I had to keep downward-thrusting until Adol was comfortable enough to do one simple sword swing. But being on LV21, holding Isha's accessory (STR+2, DEF+2), and a LV2 Livart sword was still not enough to stand up to Zonplas. I did grab a decent armor and shield to try to reduce any damage received, which was the one way to have any fighting chance. I'll have to dive back into the archives to see what position Bananamatic was in based on what he had when battling, and try to follow that. For now, laterz. Smiley

EDIT: Note to self: Adol's STR has to be at least 123 in order to inflict any damage to Zonplas. You'll inflict more damage if STR is greater.

Korzic

Edit history:

Korzic: 2014-03-26 01:48:20 pm

Korzic: 2014-03-26 01:05:06 pm

Korzic: 2014-03-26 01:04:20 pm

Korzic: 2014-03-26 01:03:01 pm

2014-03-26 08:03:43 am

Got a hold of a PC copy of the game recently (version 1.3.1.0, if it matters glitch-wise), and decided to try my hand at a single segment run, just to see how it'd match up time-wise to what others have shown:

As you can see, this beats Bananamatic's testrun pretty handily, as well as level70steve's progress that has been shown here with the PC version (I estimate the PC version can at least get below 1:50:00, maybe even 1:45:00 with extreme optimization and a more refined route). True, some of the time shaved likely comes from dash jumping at times (much easier to perform with a mouse, IMO), but I believe it's more route-related than anything, which is why I felt the need to post this, even though it contains about 4 minutes worth of "major" errors, as well as numerous smaller ones. However, I want to make clear that I probably will not do any super serious running of this game at the moment, as getting the above video has proven fairly taxing, and segmentation is just plain out of the question for a perfectionist like myself (besides, my speedrunning focus really needs to be on Ys II Complete before anything else).

Anyway, the first thing to note is the out of bounds clip on the beach, which I can use to reach a Capla Water very early on, which is traded to Agu for the Emel Mallet as soon as I enter Port Rimorge. I don't know if the clip is possible on the PS2 version or not, but even if it isn't, you don't see much of an increase in Emel until the Limewater Cave. Worst case scenario, a Capla Water from the Ruins of Amnesia can be obtained and traded afterwards, but I think the Emel Mallet is probably something that should be obtained at some point. As for the glitch itself, I'm not sure how it works, but I think maybe it has to do with areas where the Gratios Talisman can be used, as the only other out of bounds clip I've found where this kind of movement is allowed is where you find Geis in the Limewater Cave (unfortunately, the clips I've encountered there are ultimately useless, but maybe there's still a way to activate the screen transition leading underwater without the Gratios Talisman).

Speaking of Emel, that was the reason for all those extra enemy kills before Zonplas, to obtain 370 to upgrade Blirante for Ud-Meiyu (being the PC version, I do not have access to Alma's Trials, but even so, I believe those take too long to be of any use - *maybe* one or two would be helpful in the PS2 version, but I don't know). Yes, I was fairly close to level 21, but I'm not sure it's worthwhile to bother hitting that before Zonplas, as I think it's only 15 damage as opposed to 10 or 11. However, I will say that the beginning of the Grana-Vallis Mountain can be done quicker, but it's way too easy to get killed by stuff (especially the bugs), so I decided to grind a bit on the mines prematurely to lessen the chances of that happening. As mentioned earlier in the topic, level70steve managed to get out of bounds in this fight, but I've been unable to reproduce it (I think maybe it was patched in newer releases). I theorize that doing so may allow one to escape the battle without actually killing him, which should load the post-battle cutscene; if so, this would mean the Emel grinding for Livart could be put on hold, although normal leveling should still of course be done.

One of the few things I've yet to look into is whether or not the plants that appear near the bridge before heading to the Ruins of Amnesia need to be killed for the bridge to get repaired, but I do so anyway both because it's a guaranteed Emel drop (just worth 5, 7 with the Emel Mallet equipped), and also there's a chance they'll drop an Herb. I think there is a quicker way of traversing the big room in the Ruins, which involves a few dash jumps along the top near where the Capla Water is, but it's extremely risky, so I avoid trying it during the second trip (first trip you wouldn't do so because of the path to the Galba Hand). About Ud-Meiyu, that pre-fight kill is not doable in the PS2 version (at least, not without maxed out Fire magic), but it doesn't really matter, as the actual battle is still pretty easy. To be honest, I don't know if it's faster to just kill him the normal way or not (he's stationary at the very least, but I dunno if the damage he takes is reduced or not).

The bee boss is unnecessary, but I chose to kill it to obtain the Bell of Silence, which is equipped later on to repeatedly grind on a cluster of the hard-shelled enemies, but I do so after the necessary Blirante upgrades (not 100% sure it's beneficial to get the Galba Shield and Galba Armor when I did, but I'll want them both anyway, so may as well use them to make the bee boss a little easier). If there's one area where Alma's Trials would be useful, it'd be to cut out this Emel grinding, but again, I'm not convinced they're worth it (at the very least, I'd guess two trials would need to be completed to cover the amount, perhaps 3). Anyway, I'm not sure the hard-shelled beasts are the fastest grinding method for Orjugan, but it's by far the easiest (I got to level 37, though 35 or 36 is doable for Orjugan, just harder). Plus, they have a fair chance to drop Herbs (useful for Orjugan - don't really need the Wild Fowl Meats just yet), and their Emel drops are just as good as the more dangerous enemies, so may as well collect those as well.

As mentioned previously in the topic, I skipped one of the platforms at the end of Kishgal, but it could've been two, by doing an "extended" dash jump. This would be done by doing an upward slash in the middle of it - basically, a normal dash jump, than a directional button followed by the attack button in midair. It's a bit tricky to pull off, and I already fell off once, so I opted not to try for it this time around.

Before fighting Ernst, there is ordinarily a small cutscene with Geis, but using a glitchy jump (jumping against a wall at a certain angle to gain more height than usual - works best with mouse movement, IMO) from the sides of the stairs, this can be skipped. Also, before fighting Napishtim, you can jump onto the ring prematurely, and in a certain spot, the fight will not immediately activate. Unfortunately, it seems useless, since even if you use magic to destroy an orb (the only one I could hit was the yellow one via Thunder magic), it doesn't seem to knock off the appropriate HP as it does for other scenarios where you can prematurely attack a boss (Ud-Meiyu and Lanaluna). However, I theorize that maybe if all 3 can be destroyed before initiating the fight, it may be useful; I'm thinking it may need an earlier PC version to do so, though (Falcom mentioned something about the Ark in one of their patch notes, but I don't know if it was related to this, or something else).

The Lucky Silver Coin and Emelas Crown I obtained primarily to help my chances in surviving Ernst (a very difficult battle with this setup - surprised I didn't die there), but a segmented run could theoretically do without them. Here, I fought Ernst at level 49, and so I made sure to be level 47 with at least 9,703 EXP remaining when entering the Ark to ensure that I reach that (using the Romun EXP badge accessory). While he can probably be defeated at even lower levels, I don't feel comfortable doing so in a single segment run (not to mention, Galba Roa is a bit slower at level 46, I think). As mentioned above, I failed to skip the post-Ernst cutscene (the skip can be seen here), which is done by dash jumping back out of the room before the cutscene activates (you have a small window to do this where the arena borders are temporarily lifted, but you have to be quick about it - requires killing him on the lower part of the screen, I think). To be honest, I'm not 100% sure this is doable on the PS2 version (I suck at dash jumping using a controller), but I believe it should be, as the arena borders are still momentarily lifted. Either way, it saves about 2 minutes if you can pull it off, so it should at least be attempted.

As for Napishtim, the blue orb gave me trouble, and so I had to use my Capla Waters earlier than I would've liked, but thankfully, I didn't die this time around (fairly easy to do with this setup). I'm not sure, but having Livart 1 level higher may be beneficial. Of course, the real problem is the blue orb's starting position is right next to a couple lasers, so you can't do a whole lot before it wanders away (it's position will be different if you die and restart, but obviously, you don't want to resort to that).

Anyway, that's all I can think of at the moment. As I said, I do not intend on doing any serious running of the game at the time being (I'll possibly continue single segment PC runs on and off, but I dunno how much more of that I can handle), but here's hoping it provides others with some motivation.

Got a hold of a PC copy of the game recently (version 1.3.1.0, if it matters glitch-wise), and decided to try my hand at a single segment run, just to see how it'd match up time-wise to what others have shown:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xppWj0DElvM

As you can see, this beats Bananamatic's testrun pretty handily, as well as level70steve's progress that has been shown here with the PC version (I estimate the PC version can at least get below 1:50:00, maybe even 1:45:00 with extreme optimization and a more refined route).  True, some of the time shaved likely comes from dash jumping at times (much easier to perform with a mouse, IMO), but I believe it's more route-related than anything, which is why I felt the need to post this, even though it contains about 4 minutes worth of "major" errors, as well as numerous smaller ones.  However, I want to make clear that I probably will not do any super serious running of this game at the moment, as getting the above video has proven fairly taxing, and segmentation is just plain out of the question for a perfectionist like myself (besides, my speedrunning focus really needs to be on Ys II Complete before anything else).

Anyway, the first thing to note is the out of bounds clip on the beach, which I can use to reach a Capla Water very early on, which is traded to Agu for the Emel Mallet as soon as I enter Port Rimorge.  I don't know if the clip is possible on the PS2 version or not, but even if it isn't, you don't see much of an increase in Emel until the Limewater Cave.  Worst case scenario, a Capla Water from the Ruins of Amnesia can be obtained and traded afterwards, but I think the Emel Mallet is probably something that should be obtained at some point.  As for the glitch itself, I'm not sure how it works, but I think maybe it has to do with areas where the Gratios Talisman can be used, as the only other out of bounds clip I've found where this kind of movement is allowed is where you find Geis in the Limewater Cave (unfortunately, the clips I've encountered there are ultimately useless, but maybe there's still a way to activate the screen transition leading underwater without the Gratios Talisman).

Speaking of Emel, that was the reason for all those extra enemy kills before Zonplas, to obtain 370 to upgrade Blirante for Ud-Meiyu (being the PC version, I do not have access to Alma's Trials, but even so, I believe those take too long to be of any use - *maybe* one or two would be helpful in the PS2 version, but I don't know).  Yes, I was fairly close to level 21, but I'm not sure it's worthwhile to bother hitting that before Zonplas, as I think it's only 15 damage as opposed to 10 or 11.  However, I will say that the beginning of the Grana-Vallis Mountain can be done quicker, but it's way too easy to get killed by stuff (especially the bugs), so I decided to grind a bit on the mines prematurely to lessen the chances of that happening.  As mentioned earlier in the topic, level70steve managed to get out of bounds in this fight, but I've been unable to reproduce it (I think maybe it was patched in newer releases).  I theorize that doing so may allow one to escape the battle without actually killing him, which should load the post-battle cutscene; if so, this would mean the Emel grinding for Livart could be put on hold, although normal leveling should still of course be done.

One of the few things I've yet to look into is whether or not the plants that appear near the bridge before heading to the Ruins of Amnesia need to be killed for the bridge to get repaired, but I do so anyway both because it's a guaranteed Emel drop (just worth 5, 7 with the Emel Mallet equipped), and also there's a chance they'll drop an Herb.  I think there is a quicker way of traversing the big room in the Ruins, which involves a few dash jumps along the top near where the Capla Water is, but it's extremely risky, so I avoid trying it during the second trip (first trip you wouldn't do so because of the path to the Galba Hand).  About Ud-Meiyu, that pre-fight kill is not doable in the PS2 version (at least, not without maxed out Fire magic), but it doesn't really matter, as the actual battle is still pretty easy.  To be honest, I don't know if it's faster to just kill him the normal way or not (he's stationary at the very least, but I dunno if the damage he takes is reduced or not).

The bee boss is unnecessary, but I chose to kill it to obtain the Bell of Silence, which is equipped later on to repeatedly grind on a cluster of the hard-shelled enemies, but I do so after the necessary Blirante upgrades (not 100% sure it's beneficial to get the Galba Shield and Galba Armor when I did, but I'll want them both anyway, so may as well use them to make the bee boss a little easier).  If there's one area where Alma's Trials would be useful, it'd be to cut out this Emel grinding, but again, I'm not convinced they're worth it (at the very least, I'd guess two trials would need to be completed to cover the amount, perhaps 3).  Anyway, I'm not sure the hard-shelled beasts are the fastest grinding method for Orjugan, but it's by far the easiest (I got to level 37, though 35 or 36 is doable for Orjugan, just harder).  Plus, they have a fair chance to drop Herbs (useful for Orjugan - don't really need the Wild Fowl Meats just yet), and their Emel drops are just as good as the more dangerous enemies, so may as well collect those as well.

As mentioned previously in the topic, I skipped one of the platforms at the end of Kishgal, but it could've been two, by doing an "extended" dash jump.  This would be done by doing an upward slash in the middle of it - basically, a normal dash jump, than a directional button followed by the attack button in midair.  It's a bit tricky to pull off, and I already fell off once, so I opted not to try for it this time around.

Before fighting Ernst, there is ordinarily a small cutscene with Geis, but using a glitchy jump (jumping against a wall at a certain angle to gain more height than usual - works best with mouse movement, IMO) from the sides of the stairs, this can be skipped.  Also, before fighting Napishtim, you can jump onto the ring prematurely, and in a certain spot, the fight will not immediately activate.  Unfortunately, it seems useless, since even if you use magic to destroy an orb (the only one I could hit was the yellow one via Thunder magic), it doesn't seem to knock off the appropriate HP as it does for other scenarios where you can prematurely attack a boss (Ud-Meiyu and Lanaluna).  However, I theorize that maybe if all 3 can be destroyed before initiating the fight, it may be useful; I'm thinking it may need an earlier PC version to do so, though (Falcom mentioned something about the Ark in one of their patch notes, but I don't know if it was related to this, or something else).

The Lucky Silver Coin and Emelas Crown I obtained primarily to help my chances in surviving Ernst (a very difficult battle with this setup - surprised I didn't die there), but a segmented run could theoretically do without them.  Here, I fought Ernst at level 49, and so I made sure to be level 47 with at least 9,703 EXP remaining when entering the Ark to ensure that I reach that (using the Romun EXP badge accessory).  While he can probably be defeated at even lower levels, I don't feel comfortable doing so in a single segment run (not to mention, Galba Roa is a bit slower at level 46, I think).  As mentioned above, I failed to skip the post-Ernst cutscene (the skip can be seen [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=km_IR5MVn6A]here[/url]), which is done by dash jumping back out of the room before the cutscene activates (you have a small window to do this where the arena borders are temporarily lifted, but you have to be quick about it - requires killing him on the lower part of the screen, I think).  To be honest, I'm not 100% sure this is doable on the PS2 version (I suck at dash jumping using a controller), but I believe it should be, as the arena borders are still momentarily lifted.  Either way, it saves about 2 minutes if you can pull it off, so it should at least be attempted.

As for Napishtim, the blue orb gave me trouble, and so I had to use my Capla Waters earlier than I would've liked, but thankfully, I didn't die this time around (fairly easy to do with this setup).  I'm not sure, but having Livart 1 level higher may be beneficial.  Of course, the real problem is the blue orb's starting position is right next to a couple lasers, so you can't do a whole lot before it wanders away (it's position will be different if you die and restart, but obviously, you don't want to resort to that).

Anyway, that's all I can think of at the moment.  As I said, I do not intend on doing any serious running of the game at the time being (I'll possibly continue single segment PC runs on and off, but I dunno how much more of that I can handle), but here's hoping it provides others with some motivation.

Korzic

Edit history:

Korzic: 2015-05-09 05:17:12 pm

Korzic: 2015-05-09 04:36:43 pm

Korzic: 2015-05-09 04:35:28 pm

2015-05-09 04:30:54 pm

So I mentioned early on in this thread that I've been trying to break into Kishgal early. Well, after a lot of playing around on that screen, I've finally figured out a way inside! This was done on the Japanese PC version, so I don't know whether or not it'll work for the PS2/PSP versions. As for the recently released Steam version, that has warping available on most screens, so it likely isn't doable, at least not via this method. Anyway, here's the video:

More details are in the video description, but basically, the transition point doesn't even seem to exist until after the Romuns arrive (my guess is there's actually 3 different screens of Windseeker Heights, one for each time the background scenery changes, but the transition point only exists for the last two sets). At least you can skip the whole thing with infiltrating the fleet to save the Rehda (aren't speedrunners heartless? =p), though I think there will be some time loss from not picking up the Starlight Medal for extra EXP. Also, I'm not sure the Emelas Crown (extra HP) can be obtained until after the stuff with the fleet, but that's something that needs to be removed from the route at some point anyway. I'd suggest getting the Emelas Shield inside Kishgal if surviving the final bosses is too much of an issue, but there's the loss of STR from the Galba Shield to consider. That stuff aside, the remainder of the game appears to function as normal (haven't finished the playthrough with the clip, but I did at least confirm things were working up to getting inside the Ark).

I'd also like to mention that my speedrun above has been quite handily beaten pretty recently. Here's a link to that (it's also on Nicovideo):

Our timing methods differ (plus they had movie playback disabled somehow), but it's still a solid ~15 minutes off my time. Probably even more once the Kishgal clip makes its way into a run (I have no true estimate, but at first glance, I'd say it saves ~13 - 15 minutes, without taking the loss of the Starlight Medal/slightly reduced levels into account). Not that I was expecting my run to last or anything. =p (And, no, I probably won't try to beat this. I simply don't feel skilled enough to hold the record for very long.)

So I mentioned early on in this thread that I've been trying to break into Kishgal early.  Well, after a lot of playing around on that screen, I've finally figured out a way inside!  This was done on the Japanese PC version, so I don't know whether or not it'll work for the PS2/PSP versions.  As for the recently released Steam version, that has warping available on most screens, so it likely isn't doable, at least not via this method.  Anyway, here's the video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zuE_v7fNpas

More details are in the video description, but basically, the transition point doesn't even seem to exist until after the Romuns arrive (my guess is there's actually 3 different screens of Windseeker Heights, one for each time the background scenery changes, but the transition point only exists for the last two sets).  At least you can skip the whole thing with infiltrating the fleet to save the Rehda (aren't speedrunners heartless? =p), though I think there will be some time loss from not picking up the Starlight Medal for extra EXP.  Also, I'm not sure the Emelas Crown (extra HP) can be obtained until after the stuff with the fleet, but that's something that needs to be removed from the route at some point anyway.  I'd suggest getting the Emelas Shield inside Kishgal if surviving the final bosses is too much of an issue, but there's the loss of STR from the Galba Shield to consider.  That stuff aside, the remainder of the game appears to function as normal (haven't finished the playthrough with the clip, but I did at least confirm things were working up to getting inside the Ark).

I'd also like to mention that my speedrun above has been quite handily beaten pretty recently.  Here's a link to that (it's also on Nicovideo):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GY198U2yUFA

Our timing methods differ (plus they had movie playback disabled somehow), but it's still a solid ~15 minutes off my time.  Probably even more once the Kishgal clip makes its way into a run (I have no true estimate, but at first glance, I'd say it saves ~13 - 15 minutes, without taking the loss of the Starlight Medal/slightly reduced levels into account).  Not that I was expecting my run to last or anything. =p  (And, no, I probably won't try to beat this.  I simply don't feel skilled enough to hold the record for very long.)

luigimeister

Edit history:

luigimeister: 2015-07-30 09:29:49 pm

luigimeister: 2015-07-30 09:24:29 pm

2015-07-30 09:24:04 pm

Likes SoM far too much

The english steam version allows movie playback to be disabled, but idk what the differences are text wise. I'm assuming minimal since text speed is pretty fast in this game. Maybe Japan has a steam version? I dunno.

luigimeister

2015-08-04 07:53:02 pm

Likes SoM far too much

Question if anyone is even around anymore. How do you chain together dash jumps properly? I can get the first one just fine but I can't seem to chain them together. Is the input for the 2nd, 3rd, ect different from the first jump?

Korzic

2015-08-05 02:59:23 pm

Not sure what the text differences are, but I do know the Steam version introduced the "hold cancel to speed up text" feature seen in more recent titles. It's also worth noting that the Steam version is very likely faster due to warping back to any previous save monument (though this causes an issue if skipping a certain scene upon finishing the mountain and heading straight to the ruins). However, the early Kishgal clip specifically makes use of the Wing's "nothing happened" text, which is not present on that screen with the new Wing behavior (though the old behavior can be re-enabled by messing with the .ini file).

As for dash jumping, I find it easiest to use a combination of keyboard/mouse input, though mouse movement is admittedly not the most comfortable way of moving, IMO. Anyway, I double-tap the left mouse button, followed by attack + jump on the keyboard very shortly after. Well, it's more like repeated left-clicking in my case, but it works a good chunk of the time. =p But no, the input is the same each time.

Not sure what the text differences are, but I do know the Steam version introduced the "hold cancel to speed up text" feature seen in more recent titles.  It's also worth noting that the Steam version is very likely faster due to warping back to any previous save monument (though this causes an issue if skipping a certain scene upon finishing the mountain and heading straight to the ruins).  However, the early Kishgal clip specifically makes use of the Wing's "nothing happened" text, which is not present on that screen with the new Wing behavior (though the old behavior can be re-enabled by messing with the .ini file).

As for dash jumping, I find it easiest to use a combination of keyboard/mouse input, though mouse movement is admittedly not the most comfortable way of moving, IMO.  Anyway, I double-tap the left mouse button, followed by attack + jump on the keyboard very shortly after.  Well, it's more like repeated left-clicking in my case, but it works a good chunk of the time. =p  But no, the input is the same each time.

luigimeister

Edit history:

luigimeister: 2015-08-05 04:12:22 pm

2015-08-05 03:54:00 pm

Likes SoM far too much

Got it, I'm just bad and need to practice more :P. I also semi-timed the save statue warping difference and it seems to be like 12 mins without any immediate route changes since I just started routing