Cambridgeshire, EnglandSo River Race is kind of an autoscroller - the boat won't rubberband or anything, it reaches the end point at the same time every time, so the fastest 'intended' time is a 2:12, maybe a 2:11 if you get early hits. But if you're fast enough collecting missiles, you can risk a bumpy road to set up a faster kill that saves 3 seconds. I got a segmented 2:08 this way:
First clip is the normal result, second is a 1"91 last lap that I threw in, and third is the best result that I still don't understand - you can get respawned back at the jumppads (where the old lap skip respawns) so you don't have to repeat the awkward trick. It might have something to do with how far back you reverse, which makes it really precise. This best result got me the 16"46.
Not sure if this is already done in IL runs, but if you have boost available before the end of a lap, don't switch to white. Instead, boost alongside the pad, carrying the speed past the jumppads and onto the track. Can save between half a second and a second (on average, white boostpad to finish line was 4.75s, but boosting when black was 4.00s). If you do it on lap 1 or 2, there's then a black boostpad at the start of the next lap, but you'll want to switch soon after.
I've tried to find strats in the last three worlds but the only new things I could come up with are:
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a couple of bouncing strats in 3-3 to add onto the level skip that save 2 or 3 seconds altogether
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a little strat in a World 4 level that potentially saves a couple of seconds
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and an alternative 5-5 route that probably loses more time in the detour than it saves This strat could be better if we could either get Nyls past the blue checkpoint for the second block, or if we could get Lyft up to the third block straight from the start, bring it down, and then get Nyls to the second block. Or if we could even get Ywok up to either block.Just some theories.
EDIT:
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Got a little bounce strat in 5-7 that could save a few seconds (it's spliced because I forgot how to do wall-bounce-climb tech for a bit)
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Also, bigger time save in 2-7. Using a triple jump (jump, then double jump just before you touch the ground to be given two extra jumps, there's probably a couple of frames in it) and the little boost from Lyft's sticking ability, you can just about skip the three-orb section at the end. Saves ~25 seconds.
I'm not sure what exact emulator 2w used in his run, but whatever it was, the loading time for the first level was 9 seconds faster than on PS2 SDS. (2w had the cutscene start at 37s, I had it start on 46s). If this time difference is the same for every level, then he would've gained more than 2 minutes on my time on just the intro loading screen alone (the outro loading screen might also be faster on emulator). As this isn't really a serious/competitive game right now, I'm not too bothered about faster-emulated runs being on the leaderboards, but I thought I'd give note about it for future reference and to open up a discussion about it.
IGT ending has changed to turning on Autosave during the Basilisk fight. This means you can quit at the start of the credits (the game won't let you pause after defeating the Basilisk until that point), so you don't have to wait 7 or 8 minutes to find out in-game time. It was originally done the other way so that pausing didn't interrupt the run, but it only takes 5 or 6 seconds to turn on Autosave so it's not a huge deal.
For full-game runs (when PSP gets one), these two will be separated via subcategory, since PSP has major differences, including levels being completely removed (mainly vehicle levels like the Istanbul trilogy), and cutscene skips. For ILs, in the future they'll probably be separated due to gameplay differences (a few different gadgets, rappelling, the time between finishing an objective and a mid-game cutscene starting, less enemies, etc.), but for now, since there's not a huge scene, there's not much point in separating, since it would just be a load of subcategories with 1 or no runs in. Too much clutter. Another thing about not separating for ILs yet is that, because some levels aren't in the PSP version, making subcategories for All Levels would leave forever-empty boards, and adding subcategories for each level that is in both games would be a bit of a chore since, again, there aren't many runners.
It should be time to sort FDS out, because rules haven't really been set in stone. There were some thoughts a while ago that FDS was unstable, so it would be best to avoid it, but recently it's been shown to be faster than emulator (at least, the intro loading screens totalled to about 2s faster), and stable. I know I've been a bit of a tit about it, but I'd say now that FDS should be allowed; it's official hardware, and if it's faster, that's okay. I guess I've always been for level playing fields, but if it's faster, it should be allowed. What does the rest of the community think?
Hey Half-X, Your misc. categories would be more at home on Level Leaderboards. You just need to add each tournament as a level, and then 'Win the tournament' (or something similar) as the category. Also, could there be a Career World Champion category, where you start from a new file (JPEARCE or no JPEARCE being subcategories) and fight your way to winning the World Championship? It's just a thought, and it would make a good short category in my opinion.
I have a proposal for timing that I want to share with the community instead of forcing it into place (that's bad moderating). I've posted this in the Series forum as well.
There is a file timer in the games, and as this would be a universal timer and is common to use in other communities (e.g. Sonic, 007 Agent Under Fire, Axiom Verge), this would be a good use, but also a possibly bad use.
Advantages:
- Universal timer - Game-time is more reliable than real-time in terms of loading times and lag (although the 3DS doesn't have problems with these, if I recall correctly)
- Runners without a capture card can post proof as a picture of their file with the time, opening the game up to more people
Disadvantages:
- Runners without video proof may also be able to get away with segmented runs, which would be against the new ruleset if game-time was implemented
- Current runs may be invalid unless they either a) know the game-time or b) use real-time as game-time
However, currently some runners with only split proof have been accepted; this may hopefully address the disadvantages, as using both real-time with splits along with game-time should be enough proof, and may also be able to roughly distinguish the difference between real-time and game-time so that current runs can have an estimated game-time.
These are just my thoughts. Like I said, I think it'd open up the games to more people who want to run it but don't have a capture card, at the cost of a little bit of vulnerability to cheaters.
I have a proposal for timing that I want to share with the community instead of forcing it into place (that's bad moderating). I will post this on the Where The Fairy Flies/For The Sequel forum as well as that is the most popular game and easier to see the thread because of how this site works.
There is a file timer in the games, and as this would be a universal timer and is common to use in other communities (e.g. Sonic, 007 Agent Under Fire, Axiom Verge), this would be a good use, but also a possibly bad use.
Advantages:
- Universal timer - Game-time is more reliable than real-time in terms of loading times and lag (although the 3DS doesn't have problems with these, if I recall correctly)
- Runners without a capture card can post proof as a picture of their file with the time, opening the game up to more people
Disadvantages:
- Runners without video proof may also be able to get away with segmented runs, which would be against the new ruleset if game-time was implemented
- Current runs may be invalid unless they either a) know the game-time or b) use real-time as game-time
However, currently some runners with only split proof have been accepted; this may hopefully address the disadvantages, as using both real-time with splits along with game-time should be enough proof, and may also be able to roughly distinguish the difference between real-time and game-time so that current runs can have an estimated game-time.
These are just my thoughts. Like I said, I think it'd open up the games to more people who want to run it but don't have a capture card, at the cost of a little bit of vulnerability to cheaters.
This is for any weird stuff found in the game. This can be from not-useful skips to odd happenings to very minor time-savers.
useful for 100% if there's a way to do it backwards:
Istanbul Pt.2 OoB: I wanted the whole level to see just how it works. I have no idea yet. It seems some sort of glitch makes the objective dot stay on 'Get past the Russian Checkpoint'/where you park the Aston, which then allows the OoB to happen. I believe it happens because, as the objective marker is still there, Kerim stays in the car, not being triggered to get out, and so the entrance to the building is never closed. Don't think it's useful, but you never know. I've had this twice, the first accidental one, and then this one on purpose, so it wasn't a one-off thing.
Also 
sometimes enemies go places.
It's not needed (most will go for Romi's Black Mage-main route anyways), but I decided to put it there as I remember Romi saying that Japanese runners have used Monk-main routes before.
This thread is in HP1 as well, HP1 strats can go there.
For clarity, abusable physics include:
- Clipping through ledges due to increased dropspeed from an angled jump (e.g. in HP1 in the lava-cave before the Puffskeins, you can jump from a high ledge down to the first ledge where the lava is and clip through)
- Using models at the edge of ledges to proxy with (see Stand Where I Point skip)
- Using acute angles between models and/or walls to move into a wall (see Forest skip in HP1)
- Extra speed from stair banisters (e.g. in HP1, at the beginning of the game, where you jump across banisters for a fast jump) [although there aren't as many slippery banisters in HP2]
So far, useful strats include:
- Not RTA-friendly:
- RTA-friendly:
- although this is really finicky to get quickly, and getting it as quick as in the video only saves about a second.
- In the Lower Hogwarts area on the way to Deathday, you can jump from the high banister you start from down to the next banister behind Nick, and clip and fall through it, triggering the cutscene slightly faster than jumping onto the banister and jumping off.
Some things that aren't useful (yet) are:
- An acute angle between the hedgewall and the Ford Anglia right at the start of Burrow that vertically zips you onto the hedgewall. With precise jumps and movement, you can be on the hedgewall above the locked gate. If there's a way to get behind the gate, a TAS could skip the Ghoul part entirely (getting to the hedge could take about 15-20 seconds, excluding having to trigger the cutscene where Ron climbs and jumps the crates, because that trigger is like a big wall that you can't avoid)
- An acute angle in the Teachers segment, in the McGonogallXSnape area, opposite the hedge in McGonogall's path. Doesn't go anywhere though, it's one where you just jump behind the wall and zip straight out to where you started.
- An acute angle in the Girl's Bathroom, actually, multiple acute angles, where the arches are near the door. There is one where going into one wall can lead to an ascension with three consecutive jumps that lead on to each other (one jump 'lands' at its peak, and a change in direction can lead to another jump, and then a final one, and then you just drop back to where you started). Everything else seems to work just like the Teachers one above. -There are a few acute angles near the Quidditch Training entrance, two of which are at the door entrance. I thought there might be a way to get behind the door and trigger the training before Herbology. Not sure if that would be very helpful if you don't then get given Incendio because you triggered a flag ahead of learning the spell, so the game thinks you've learnt it. There is also an OoB that can occur from an acute angle nearby, with some extra movement in order to get it. -There's an acute angle on the right side of both trees with webs on them. You can slowly ascend up the tree, but I don't think you can do much else after that. -There's also an acute angle on the right side of the web in the Chamber Trials. That also doesn't do much. -There's a proxy off of a knight in the Dark Hall Trial, and it almost reaches the nearby ledge where there's a Verdimillious wall. -There are some ledges that can be grabbed nearly halfway across a wall, so when getting up, Harry is less than halfway inside the wall, but then gets bumped out. -There is an acute angle near the red chair near a bookcase in the Gryffindor Common Room. You can OoB somehow in the arm of the chair once you're in it, but the OoB falls straight into a reloaded room, with the textures reloaded as if you didn't do anything. Maybe the trigger for the cutscene where Harry and Ron find out that Hermione was attacked and that Ginny has gone to the Chamber of Secrets might be around the top of the room. Although, my theory about triggers is that they have flags, and so some things are only loaded when flags have been triggered. This might explain why Nick only appears outside of the Common Room after the first House Point totalling, among other things. -There's probably some I forgot about.
Post any you find here! TriHard
This thread will be in HP2 as well, HP2 strats can go there.
For clarity, abusable physics include:
- Clipping through ledges due to increased dropspeed from an angled jump (e.g. in the lava-cave before the Puffskeins, you can jump from a high ledge down to the first ledge where the lava is and clip through)
- Using models at the edge of ledges to proxy with (see Stand Where I Point skip in HP2)
- Using acute angles between models and/or walls to move into a wall (see below)
- Extra speed from stair banisters (e.g. at the beginning of the game, where you jump across banisters for a fast jump)
So far, HP1's useful physics strats include a useful acute angle strat which is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8O-bOeKk as well as the stair banister strat mentioned above.
There have been finds for the physics that are not (yet) useful:
- The lavaledge clip mentioned above can lead to an OoB if you stop moving before you clip, then you'll fall until you hit what seems to be a reloaded map with no textures. If you hit certain 'walls' in the reloaded map, you'll zip straight up to where that wall is in the original map.
- If you go to the Verdimillious room before 4-Eyes before you've learnt Verdimillious, there'll be a girl near the doorway who says she ought to go to Defence class. You can grab the ledge where she's standing by jumping near it, and her model can push you (proxy) off the ledge, giving you a boost in your jump, or, to steal terms from HP1PC, a superjump. I've almost made it to the ledge on the left where there are secrets, which could help lead to 4-Eyes as there is a jump to the further ledge, but the jump to the left-hand ledge is either really precise or impossible. If this is possible, this could save up to 7 minutes, and might be its own category (or just variable).
Post anything you've found here! TriHard
