Oregon, USAHiya! The game is only single-player, Pico-8 as a platform just shows the potential second player control scheme in the options for any game that uses the default pause menu. As for the color change from holding Shift while the game is paused, that's just another quirk of Pico-8.
Controls on controller are about what you'd expect: you can use d-pad or joystick to move, and the face buttons are mapped to Z/X. If you're playing a browser version instead of downloading it, some Pico-8 games won't properly recognize the d-pads of some controllers and you'll only be able to use joystick.
Got caught up elsewhere but this is now taken care of. I think I got em all but if there are any more, folks can comment in this thread or DM me directly.
I can hop on as a mod if you want, I've been around since the beginning basically anyway~
The only useful OOB I've found so far. This theoretically saves ~8 seconds compared to going down the rail past the swords, but it's really hard to do off of natural cycle because of sawblade positioning. Afaik I've only done it off of respawn cycles, and possibly never first try, so that might cut into the timesave or negate it if skipping on natural cycle isn't very doable.
Welcome! I'd say completing your first playthrough if you haven't already would be the best starting point. After that, checking out the vids for the full game and IL runs will help you get a general idea of how some of the speedtech is implemented. There are some good notes about tech and game systems in the other forum posts too.
Even now, the run is still pretty unoptimized and can be pushed further. Getting your speed up early by taking turns will save time over the course of a given level, but you want to find a speed that you can maintain. Which will be different from person to person, and increase the more you play. Taking efficient early turns is important too, so looking for sections where you can repeat the same turns in very quick succession or while making necessary movement progress will help your times drastically. I haven't run this in ages, but I think the ILs for levels 2 and 3 are pretty good examples.
This isn't the easiest first speedgame, so take your time and enjoy. I've suggested to folks before that focusing on ILs initially will make the process a bit less painful, especially if you struggle with level 7 as much as most folks do.
Good luck!
Work-in-progress, will update as needed. Feel free to drop any questions or suggestions in this thread!
Hey folks,
We've gotten a few new runners lately so I went ahead and set up a server for us! Share tips and tricks, let others know when you go live, and yell at Pickle for hoarding all the WRs with us:
Hey folks,
I just updated the server we've been using for YHTWTG to be more series-focused. If you're interested in SWTG and or YHTWTG speedruns come join us!
Heya! I've done a glitched 100% run which doesn't really have a home here yet. I'd appreciate that getting added if possible; it's the funnest category I've tried so far. I also wanted to mention a couple things:
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Timing consistency. I start my timer from first movement, like Beini does in the any% WR. I noticed Salty times from selecting Play on the main menu for 100% Glitchless. This timing decision should probably be consistent across all categories (and for this game I'd suggest first movement because of the load screen on the intro).
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Should there also be an Any% Glitchless category? That would be four total, between Any/100 plus Glitch/Glitchless.
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Should Glitchless be actually glitchless or just not using the death warp? For example, Beini pushes two pillars through each other in their Any% run which I'd kinda consider a glitch. It's not on the same scale as the death warp though, so it wouldn't break the game for it to be included in a less glitchy category.
Thoughts?
This OOB isn't useful where it is, especially as I then fell off the map. What is useful to notice is that there didn't seem to be a kill plane beneath the map, meaning that any other OOBs that could be found/used would need to rely on just navigating on the actual map and not as a setup for the spit warp.
It's worth trying to find any other instances of that false floor tile, in case they are above other map sections with solid collision.
Hi hi! Pickle asked me a few weeks back to get this together and I finally got around to it. Hope this makes things easier for folks.
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Thanks for posting! I've not added many resources for this game due to the low interest level but I'm glad to see others getting into it.
I experimented with this and it's definitely worth it on a few levels iirc. Mostly I just haven't gotten around to optimizing the run at all but between this and strats where you get stuck in corners and just alternate left/right to gain percent the time can definitely come down by a good amount. Certain levels just require you to reach 100%, others require a percent and being at a specific spot, and some require you to finish a number of laps/hit a checkpoint a certain number of times before completion will be given. This sort of strat could save time on all three, especially the laps levels depending on how the checkpoint system works.
Addendum: Cutscene skip in shack is weird. I did it on stream in my casual science playthrough but I hit the cutscene trigger both times in my runs tonight. I think it's location based and you can stand just on the other side of the trigger and still activate the door but now I'm not sure.
Okay, from testing on stream and a little bit after today. Definitely useful stuff:
• VHS stacking still totally works. I found the best method is to put the first tape in and, as soon as the static shows up, pause/unpause the game and then press Next and then Use. You can do this pretty fast and it works on keyboard. Haven't checked the amount of timesave compared to watching them in order but it's probably somewhere around a minute. I also tried doing it on the walnut cracking/moonstone insertions into the briefcase, but I need to compare it with the intended method before saying if it's useful.
• I was able to skip the cutscene in the shack again. I think the loading trigger is close to the window. Grab the Oars, read the note, then move back to the corner past where the Oars were and head straight to the door. Save 25-30 seconds.
• You can sometimes grab ladders from the floor below them by jumping and pressing Use while looking at the ceiling. Specifically, you can do this twice in Hospital to skip getting Roof Ladder Key. The sequence is: after you come up the lift you turn right, to the little dead end area. Grab the ladder above you over there, which leads to Tape 3. Do the ledge walking segment over to the overhang roof where the Herb is, then use the other ladder to go down and get Tape 2. Then head to the VCR and Tape 1. I'm guessing this probably saves 10-15 seconds but haven't timed it.
Possibly useful stuff/more testing needed:
• It may be possible to get Hospital Key C from under the corpse pile without burning it. I'm not confident in this but I think the key is already loaded in under the pile and it could be a matter of angle/position to target it instead of the corpse pile text triggers.
• The cutscene on the walkway after you get Hospital Key C: It doesn't seem possible to just jump around it on that walkway but I found a spot with wonky collision that gains you height. It's right underneath where the side path of the walkway connects with the main path. I didn't get high enough from there to get back on the walkway but it's worth more testing. Additionally, it could be possible to grab the ladder leading to the roof from underneath it/next to the corpse pile if we could gain a little height off the scaffolding geometry near it but I've had no luck yet.
• I tested a bit with keyboard/mouse in addition to controller and it felt like I could climb geometry a little easier, including one I hadn't successfully climbed on controller before, thanks to the space bar being so mash-friendly. There are sequence breaks if we can find the right setups in a few spots: Subway to skip getting the Maint Room Key/Janitor's Key and the cutscene on the downtown platform, which would save a really nice chunk of time. Also, Alleyway before and after opening the Death Key door which blocks your way which would skip the first clock sequence (although I don't know if this would softlock you later on the second clock sequence). Probably others but I haven't combed through the whole game with it in mind yet.
Probably useless stuff:
• The old alleyway OOB location is indeed gone, as far as I can tell.
• The dark world OOB is still there but I've yet to get somewhere useful with it; needs more testing but even if it lets you skip straight to the lift it's not likely to be a timesave due to setup.
• It didn't feel like the jump/interact made much of, if any, difference. The only time of note was a couple instances where I opened a door from the wrong side by running/jumping into it but I've never done this in a useful way.
So yeah. There's around 90 seconds of guaranteed/free timesave compared to your current run (less for me since I have VHS stacking) and if we find any reliable OOB setups elsewhere then we're talking closer to the 30/31 minute mark.
GGs on the run. I haven't played since a day or two after I did my last PB so it's nice to have a reason to get back to this game.
I was running on the original release version, the 1.0 or whatever the devs have decided to call it, so there's some stuff that may not work anymore. If anything from my run has been patched out I'll need to delete/throw a fresh run together/make a legacy category if it's still possible for people to get the original version. I'm assuming this is the current Steam build you're on?
For VHS stacking I would try to get a timing of alternating between the select and cancel buttons (I'm a controller user, which shouldn't make a difference but you never know with some games) and, when you get it right, it allows you to start playing the next tape while the previous one is running. In my PB I have all 3 tapes going simultaneously at one point which is a nice timesave. I'll test if this still works on my end in the next couple days.
1.0 also had early Oars, although I never did a run after it was discovered by someone on the Steam forums. You could grab the Oars through the back wall of the shack and totally skip the walnuts/suitcase. AFAIK the devs patched this out but I've not tested it myself.
There was an OOB that was seemingly useless, where you could get above the alley by climbing some weird geometry by the door to the park. The devs confirmed to me that the loading zones don't work in a way where you could use this, which is too bad. If it had worked it would've entirely skipped hospital. This was on their to-do list to patch out so it may be gone:
I found another OOB in the first section of dark world the last time I booted the game up. Another case of climbing geometry and getting above the map but if you stepped wrong you would void out. It's slow though. Even if it let you skip a key it was probably not a timesave but I'll check to see if it's still there and do some testing on it soon.
The cutscene in the shack where you get the Oars was skippable but I don't know the exact circumstances. My assumption is that there's a loading zone which is active after you actually take the Oars and you can simply avoid it. Again, needs to be tested on the current build.
I did a little testing to try and skip the cutscene on the Hospital roof, after you burn the corpses, where you fall off. I haven't been able to skip it yet but it's worth testing until we have a better idea of how big the loading zone is on that narrow walkway and whether you can jump around it or climb a wall like the OOBs.
I don't know of any way to skip normal cutscenes once they've actually started, minus the VHS stacking glitch.
Another thing to check: I was able to just run past the boss straight to the save/load point, pressing the action button as he grabbed me once or twice along the way. Need to test to see if it still works.
Good catch on the walnut behind the Oars shack; I'd only grabbed it in casual and assumed it always gave you the ERROR instead of a moonstone but I guess that only happens if you grab all four. I also noticed you jumping as you grabbed a couple items/activated objects early in the run; is this getting you in range of interaction faster or were you just doing it because why not?
I'm in favor of 1a. I'm not a fan of blackout being in a main category run given the requirements but making it legal in a side category feels like a good compromise to me.
In regards to anything%, my vision is that it could be one category which encompassed all the shenanigans to help mitigate the chances of there being too many random little categories. It would let people who want to do blackout/save manip/password storage for Steam/IJG for non-Steam/ECC all share one playground. There would obviously be optimal strategies that might obsolete others but people would be able to route as they please. I don't think it's necessary at the moment to be honest but it would be a catch-all for the future if interest rises in the major shenanigans. Even if it were to become a thing at some point you could still make an argument to ban save manip but that's another convo.
Hey hey,
For the resources section, the game will now be available at
https://rarelikeaunicorn.itch.io/reunited-bitsy
The old link will be directing to the new version, which will be released in the next 24 hours.
Thank y'all again for playing <3
