Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine - Forums - Shortcuts and skips

I remember that, wasn´t there a problem that some door is locked inside and you can´t proceed?

This green room is doable this way. It's just that from this side it's not possible to venture further into corridors leading to other pyramids.

I've tried the Peru trick using your save, q94471, but when it loads the game softlocks looking at the big boulder and I have to end the game using the task manager; not very convenient. Any idea why that may be? Also, I seem unable to pull the block enough in Meroe to access the green room, nor to clip through the small crevice. I think your idea of lighting all firewoods before killing the hyenas is good! And also killing them with a shotgun takes only one hit (on the easiest difficulty at least). As for the waves of hyenas, I took the habit of spawning the second wave right when the level starts, but then they don't seem to spawn all at once...

Pulling out that block in Meroe can be a real pain, sometimes it works pretty fast and somtimes not at all. Don´t know why. As for the eye you can bypass that with the rolling glitch if you don´t want to use taklits part or you don´t have it. Made a little video which might show the aligment a little better: https://www.dropbox.com/s/aimeqq0056h1b5r/Indy3Dtricks.avi?dl=0

Your video is great! Do you plan on leaving it where it is on Dropbox? If so, I'll just update the catalogue of tricks to include them with that video as a reference. Otherwise, I'll just record them myself and upload them on Twitch and link those. It's nice to see precisely how to pull that block! Although I don't really see any value added to do it in a speedrun. I'll try the rolling glitch and see which way is better. Meroe is the level I'm currently mapping and grinding so it's great to find things in it! For the record, you can also clip behind the eye block at any given time: [IMG]http://i63.tinypic.com/2d919nl.jpg[/IMG]

Also, before I forget, I tried renaming start_02_BABYLON as QUICKSAVE so I could reload it quickly just by pressing F8, but (for that level at least) all I get when it reloads is a black screen and the cutscenes don't play. I can move Indy, un-holster the pistol and shoot, and use the whip, but I don't see anything and can't open the menu. Pressing F10 does open the cheatcode bar but even fixme doesn't fix anything... I suppose QUICKSAVE doesn't allow loading on cutscenes, but we'd need verification on that for the other levels. I've pretty much given up on finding a consistent setup for the rolling glitch up the slope in Babylon... It's the only trick in the level for which jumping from the exact same position doesn't always work (or should I say, barely ever works)... If any of you has a consistent setup for this I'd be exalted if you shared it!

I don´t plan to delete the video, so you can use it.

In a run I would just use Taklits part to bypass the eye, rolling glitch or clipping there doesn´t save any time. I will try to figure out how to deal with the hyenas best.

The Meroe route right now I think should look something like this:

drive to the shak and get the stuff (maybe kill a few hyenas on the way)
climb the pyramid and do the purple pyramid first, then the bucket
then go to the yellow or green in any order
track back inside the pyramid after completing them and after the red one, get out of it there
run to see the kid and kill the hyenas, then run to your car and kill the rest of the hyenas
drop down with the car and activate the digging site: get the wheel, then the watch and up again
pick up the gasoline and get the eye with the help of the kid
make a roundtrip to activate all those thingies: green-purple-yellow-red or red-yellow-purple-green
go to the opened door, use wheel+gasoline and finish level

In Babylon I don´t know either, I would have done a run long ago if would know one. :P

For an individual run of Meroe, using Taklit's part is definitely faster, but in a Nub's Part run or a full run, clipping or roll glitching could make us not need to pick up Taklit's part in Pudovkin, which saves a few seconds.

In the practice run I did today, I triggered the second wave right as the level started and killed the hyenas that were coming to me as I made my way to the first pyramid. Throughout much of the level I could hear the remaining hyenas running above my head. I don't know if I had especially good luck or if the hyenas do follow you when you're underground, but the three remaining hyenas were all very close to where I get out of the last pyramid. If the hyenas do follow you somehow, then it would make sense to talk to the kid before adventuring in the pyramids. Otherwise I don't really see a save or a waste to do it before or after.

And for the activation order, I think it would make sense to do green-purple-yellow-red, because the slope leading out of the mining pit pretty much faces the green beam so we'd probably save a split second there.

I've tried the boulder trick in Peru, but for some reason, when I execute the jump the falling boulder kills me... Here's a savegame of the exact spot from which I'm jumping: http://www95.zippyshare.com/v/9uHsN1Dr/file.html And a little video to show you both outcomes I've experienced (camera looking up and looking down):

We clearly hear Indy jumping and landing before the boulder completely falls... Any of you understands what I'm doing wrong?

I tried out your savegame and in 15 attemps i succeeded 15 times, so I don´t have a clue what is wrong. You just need to make a running jump, press Shift+Up+X(or Alt). But Indy seems to end up in the pit for you since you get the death screen.

samlab likes this

Well, F my life I guess then :P I'll reinstall dgvoodoo tomorrow and retry with it, maybe it changes my luck. I uninstalled it because streaming with it seemed impossible for some reason... It recorded well but streamed a black screen...

I tried to figure out the best strategy for dealing with hyenas and the most optimal I could think of (testing required - it doesn't have to be the best one because I say so) could be this:

After the first cutscene finishes, enter the Jeep, rush to the path between "green" and "purple" pyramids - where the cave where we meet Nubian boy is. There should be a hyena coming towards the cave - run it over !
The 2 remaining hyenas ¤should¤ be around the "green" pyramid. After dealing with them, try parking close to the cave.
Exit, run to the cave, let the cutscene finish.
After it's finished there should be 2 or 5 hyenas chasing you. If there were 2 of them, enter your Jeep and drive to the hut - that's where the remaining 3 spawned. If there were 5 - let them run towards you and ill them with a grenade.
Wait. The next 3 should spawn either next to the hut or behind the "yellow" pyramid. They spawn in the place which is farther than you.

What's even happening there ? How do I know this ? This took some trial-and-error, playing in Wireframe Mode (so I can see where they spawn) and studying a decompiled script. The algorithm I could describe as close to this:

make the first trio behind the "green" pyramid
if all three are killed, wait 10 seconds and generate another trio - based on the player's position. Generate in one of two (officially the script says about 3, but I couldn't find the third) places - in that which is farther.
if 3 trios have been killed, don't generate any from now on.
after the first confrontation with Nubian boy ends, create the remaining two and make them chase player.

So it makes sense to trigger that cutscene when the countdown for creating another trio is present. Oh, and the cutscene where Russians arrive isn't triggered until Nubian boy is gone for good (as the script says) - which means the cutscene can only be activated after you got the Gem Eye.

Molotok likes this

I played around with the boulder trick in Peru, trying each pixel for a consistent setup that works for me, and contrarily to your video, which was my starting point, the only setup I found that works consistently for me is positioning Indy in this manner: [IMG]http://i67.tinypic.com/ezidxj.jpg[/IMG] Doing that makes Indy jump on the ledge back in the climbable room, so a waste of a fraction of a second compared to your setup I reckon.

I'm truly amazed by all that you can find out, q94471! I did notice that hyenas tended to like being either close to the shack or close to the pull-able block (green pyramid) but I didn't know it went so far as being almost their only spawn points. I'll take all of your research and testing into account in my planning for Meroe! Many thanks!

I tested q94471 idea and I think this way seems "best":

park the car near the entrance, after getting out at least one hyena will come running towards you
kill the three hyenas, they are normally all nearby
go to the cave which is right where you are and it spawns 4-5 hyenas, which you can all kill with the shotgun(or whatever you think is best) and in case 4 spawn, the other hyena should be close to the shack or already on your way to you
run to the shack and get your equipment, meanwhile new hyenas spawned and should be somewhere near the pyramid on their way to you, so you can kill those 3 right before climbing point

This video also shows why you should just leave the Jeep near the cave, it will be closer to you later: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2ouh6wkcjd4a4zr/Indy3Dmeroe.avi?dl=0

The way you just outlined seems pretty good, Molotok, but I'm just wondering why the Russians didn't spawn when you got out of the red pyramid at the end. Since you got the "all hyenas killed" jingle, shouldn't the Reds be waiting for you when you break the wall of the final pyramid?

They only spawn when you get the crystal eye with the help of the kid, as q94471 mentioned it in his last sentence. Btw I was able to push out the kid a little bit off the cave and then run him over, but he is invincible lol.. weapons don´t do him harm either. He can get stuck behind the sign next to the cave though and he will be there forever. Completely useless, but funny nevertheless.

Tested - just as I said there's so much randomness. I couldn't make it this fast. Still, seems pretty optimal.

Some minor stuff:

"Green pyramid":

jump directly there instead of climbing

"Yellow pyramid" :

Which way to get up the kindling room is the fastest ? Activate trapdoor or jump like here at 0:20 ? Backtrack or go the way with 2 descending floors ?
Backwards roll instead of levitating down.
(?) Perform 2 transfers of those blocks surrounding that jackal statue connected with yellow beam, then climb on top of one, crouch to face the statue in front of its face, press action button to sink into this block, put the Gem Eye, run just next to the statue and remove the Eye. Savegame after crouching: http://www55.zippyshare.com/v/UcPh0rMJ/file.html

"Red pyramid":

Morph-jump directly to the kindling pickup instead of shimmying, dropping down and climbing.
Jump directly onto the minecart in the pit, close to the wheel to pick it up faster ?
Repair the other minecart by filling up gas tank first and attach a wheel second ?

"Btw I was able to push out the kid a little bit off the cave and then run him over, but he is invincible lol.. weapons don´t do him harm either. He can get stuck behind the sign next to the cave though and he will be there forever. Completely useless, but funny nevertheless." My turn ! 15:30 Using the same trick on that excavator can make some spades stuck or orient you like this: I wonder... maybe create a playlist or a mix with/of all the funny stuff ? Something like this, perhaps ? :

Edited by the author 6 years ago

I don't know if you watched my last stream (it was about 10 days ago I think but it's still available on Twitch as far as I know) but I did do some of the things you mention: "Yellow pyramid":

If you can setup the clipping jump quickly enough (under about 2 seconds) then it is faster than activating the trap. Otherwise, it's much more consistent to activate the trap.
Backtracking rather than going down both elevators is a bit faster (I timed it offstream, but tried it instream)
The transfer thing is interesting! I'll try it soon!

"Red pyramid":

Roll glitching from the firewood niche to the starting ledge is also easily doable!

I don't know about jumping next to the minecart in the pit. What I currently do is backroll further (just before the ledge down another step) to get the watch first. Although considering we put the drive chain first then jump down, jumping on the cart might make more sense indeed! It's true that by filling up the gas first we don't need to be on the side of the cart twice, so I think that's a good decision.

If we could find a way to get to the gem eye without needing the kid we could avoid having to find and kill the hyenas altogether. I tried for a while, but the piece of land is much too far away and the tracks aren't even solid so we can't stand on them to jump... Until other tricks to jump even further are found I guess we'll have to continue killing the hyenas.

I watched it - the problem is:

I have memory of a goldfish so I might have not remembered all the stuff you presented
Still I wanted everything to be written here rather than analyze the stream and what has been done there.
Request: raise your microphone volume. I could barely hear anything without system volume and speakers at their maximum levels. Speech should have much higher priority than game sounds.

I really doubt there's a way to get the Gem Eye without the proper cutscene. I couldn't at least. Try it yourself: in the game's "Resource" directory make another one and name it as "cog". Download this script: http://www23.zippyshare.com/v/CgEo2wZU/file.html to the newly created directory, launch the game, type "urgon_elsa" cheatcode to activate the script, which is basically a togglable fly hack I mentioned some time ago that I will write: jump key to ascend, crouch to descend. Once at position, type the cheat code again to disable it so pickups can be picked up as always.