Hello, I suppose I should introduce myself since this is my first thread on this forum. I'm Maru, an SMB1 and SMB3 TASer. I've done quite a bit of work with both games, but I decided to come here to address some of the issues with speedrunning this game.

A while back, I published an RTA Rules TAS showcasing some different strategies to save the framerules on 1-2 and 4-2. A number of people have requested that I post the input file, so here it goes: https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/351570852308975620/497923454369267712/Maru_RTA_Rules_TAS.fm2

This TAS aims for pure speed and highest score (without losing time of course). It's not incredibly entertaining, but a surprising amount of my movement was in sync with the music.

Using Sockfolder values, the strategy on 1-2 saves 5 frames (4-D) over human perfection (4-8). This TAS only gets 4-C, but I suppose it's good enough. This strategy is essentially humanly impossible, however, as it requires manipulating Mario so that he never passes x-position 124. This allows Mario to stop at the edge of the second pipe and turn around.

Several in-level frames can be saved in 4-2 through the method demonstrated in HappyLee's video. It has been known for years, but I forgot about it when making this TAS. Still, this TAS enters the pipe with 4-H and enters World 8 with 8-7. KingOfJonnyBoy's 4-2 videos were based on this route.

Maru