General Movement

In this I'll be giving info on Sonic's primary movement options: Running, Rolling/Spindashing, and Jumping.

#Running
The default means of movement. Sonic accelerates from standstill to full speed in just over half a second. Sonic's turns, while very slidey, are best when running versus his other movement options (exception being wall bounces when rolling, explained below). Sonic presents no hitbox to damage enemies or obstacles when running, making this his most vulnerable movement option. It's best to run only to accelerate to top speed or to turn corners. 

Normal Speed Cap:		75-79 Oscillating
Frames to Full Speed:		36-37
Supersneakers Speed Cap:	99-103 Oscillating
Frames to Full Speed:		48-49

Slopes have various effects on running, but typically the only noticeable effects are running up steep slopes. Running up shallow slopes has no noticeable effect. Running down shallow slopes seems to likewise present no obvious benefit. Steeper slopes range from not very beneficial to outright horrendous. Running down a steep slope often sees Sonic just drift off of them with his momentum and become briefly airborne. Running up steep slopes rapidly decelerates Sonic to the point where he can actually be forced to a full stop and taken downward. I don't have any numerical specifics for slope interactions with running, but you'll typically avoid running on slopes anyway due to superior movement options.


#Rolling and Spindash
Roll and Spindash share a single designated button in this game. If Sonic is moving laterally when the button is pressed, he'll curl into a ball and maintain the speed for roughly 10 frames before rapidly decelerating. 

If Sonic is at a stand still, he'll instead curl up and start revving up a spindash. Spindash has 4 stages (what I'll be referring to as 0-3). The first charge (0) is achieved 11 frames into holding the button. A timer then starts counting down from 15 to 0 every frame, upon reaching 0 it will reset and increase Sonic's Spindash Charge by 1. Charging a spindash from standstill to full this way takes 56 frames, just under a full second. The process can be assisted by pressing a Jump button between revs to increase the charge by 1 and reset the rev counter before the normal 15 frame timer finishes. It's best to try to time this right after the first charge is reached (when you hear the audio cue) then again as soon as you hear the next charge. This should cut down the time to full charge significantly. For TAS, the full charge can be reached in 16 frames, with frame 17 being the launch. Sonic's highest 2 charges both have a higher speed cap than running and jumping normally, with the highest charge being faster than Sonic's speedshoes speed caps. Like rolling, Sonic will start to rapidly decelerate after a short time. 

Sonic obviously also has a hitbox for this making it possible to destroy enemies and certain obstacles in this form. Sonic's turning is pretty horrible and he'll uncurl completely if the turn is too sharp of an angle. Rolling into a wall bounces Sonic off that wall with his speed preserved. Rolling into the wall diagonally results in Sonic being bounced off in a 90 degree angle while rolling directly into a wall bounces Sonic back in the opposite direction. 

Rolling and Spindash inputs can be stored when Sonic is descending, which can help maintain momentum or begin a spindash sooner and under a couple of circumstances where they might not normally be possible (an easy example is storing spindash on the first checkpoint ring break in Spring Stadium 2). Lastly, it's worth noting that supersneakers have no effect at all on Sonic's spindash speeds. 

Spindash Launch Speeds:
0 Charge:		59
1 Charge:		89
2 Charge:		104
Full Charge:		119

Slopes definitely seem to have a more noticeable effect on rolling speed than running speed. The deceleration for inclines and acceleration for declines is more immediate. That said, you're still not likely to see these interactions often since better options are available.


#Jumping
Sonic's only means of vertical movement by default (terrain specific options such as springs exist). Sonic accelerates slower when using jumps, but maintains a VERY SLIGHTLY higher top speed than when running. Steering is possible when airborne, but will be slower and wider than taking turns while running. Jump inputs can be stored when descending. This allows you to press (and hold) jump as you descend to store another jump, which keeps Sonic curled up to never drop his hitbox. 

Moving with constant use of this jump storage presents the benefit of having a hitbox up to destroy enemies and avoid specific obstacles (Spring Stadium spikes, Gene Gadget shock panels, etc) while keeping a similar max speed to running. Even though he turns aren't as tight, they're not exactly bad. I honestly recommend using this as your primary means of movement under general circumstances.

Normal Speed Cap:		77-79 Oscillating
Frames to Full Speed		46-47 *(1)*
Speedshoes Speed Cap:	101-103 Oscillating
Frames to Full Speed		62-63 *(1)*
*1. Assuming jump on first frame of movement then continuing with jump storage until full speed is reached.*

Slope interactions with jumping is going to be significant in optimal movement. You never want to jump on an incline and ALWAYS want to jump on a decline. For an incline, it's best to jump at the base before the slope to try and make your way as far up as you can then running the rest of the way. Jumping on an incline causes Sonic to take a sharp cut in speed since the slope will always try to launch Sonic in the direction perpendicular to it. For declines, it's best to jump as soon as you can for a brief burst of extra speed. 

If you're going fast enough, you can actually reach this game's true speed cap with a downward slope jump. When this cap is reached it is maintained for as long as Sonic is moving that same direction or until he is obstructed by a steep slope, wall, enemy, or other obstacle. I'm not sure why this speed cap is maintained like this but I suspect it might be due to the coding of Diamond Dust's slides, which behave similarly. The numerical data below is the expected speed boost from downward slope jumps under various circumstances.

Full Run:			89 Decelerating back to Running Speed Cap
Full Speedshoes:	127 Sustained until Direction Change, Steep Slope, or Obstruction
Spindash 0:		79 into Running Speed Cap
Spindash 1:		110 Decelerating back to Running Speed Cap
Spindash 2:		127 Sustained until Direction Change, Steep Slope, or Obstruction
Spindash Full:		127 Sustained until Direction Change, Steep Slope, or Obstruction



*edit: took out Freed Flicky Flagging section and put it in the Good Ending Basics guide.*

Getting and Using the Practice Hack

Use the link to our community website in order to get all the information you need for the practice hack

https://greenflicky.com/resources/practice-hack/

Good/Best Ending Basics

In this I'll be giving info on collecting Chaos Emeralds in the game. This guide is primarily for those considering picking up the Good Ending run. Things to consider in this run that are different from the regular Beat The Game category are: Special Stages, Emerald/Ring Routing, Freed Flicky Flagging, & The Final Fight.

#Special Stages

The primary difference between the categories is the inclusion of Special Stages. Special Stages are accessed by banking 50 rings with either Knuckles or Tails. Knuckles and Tails both have their own banks. These 50 rings don't have to all be banked at once, but it's optimal to do so (ex. You can give Knuckles 20 rings, then come back and give him 30 more). They're found in the first 2 Acts of every stage except Gene Gadget & Panic Puppet. This means you have until Volcano Valley Act 2 to collect all 7 Chaos Emeralds.

The Special Stages themselves differ from the 3 main versions of the game: Genesis/Mega Drive, Saturn, and 1997 Windows verison. The consistent factor between them is Sonic will be tasked with collecting a specified number of rings before reaching checkpoints in an autoscroller while avoiding spiked bombs (which makes Sonic lose rings). Upon completing the Special Stage, Sonic will be awarded a Chaos Emerald. The stages differ in appearance and layout based on whether Tails or Knuckles takes you in  on the Genesis/Mega Drive version. In the Saturn and 1997 Windows versions, Sonic is only allowed to collect 1 Emerald per Act of a stage. Completing a Special Stage after all Emeralds are collected (or if you already collected one in that same Act on the Saturn/'97 Windows versions), Sonic will receive an Extra Life.


#Emerald Routing
If you're keeping count, you'll recognize that there are 20 opportunities in any single run to enter the Special Stage. You only need to get 7 Emeralds, so optimally you only need 7 of these 20. You're now tasked with the decision: Which ones do you take? Choosing which Special Stages to enter is what we refer to as Emerald Routing. A lot of work has been put into this routing over the last couple of months to find out the best Special Stages to enter. I'll be giving a bit of a list here, just know that the top criteria for optimal run is having the least amount of time lost for entering the stage versus completing it without collecting emeralds. This includes the proximity of Tails and/or Knuckles to the main path in the stage as well as the convenience of grabbing 50 rings before reaching them (aka Ring Route). A secondary consideration, especially if you're still learning the run (or the game in general), is safety. This is to say how risky is that ring route, path to Tails/Knuckles, or even how late in the game (and therefor close to your deadline) that Special Stage is accessed. I'll be interpreting info here on what are the best Special Stages to enter. This information is coutesy of Kurayami, AmberCyprian, and Zurggriff. They've done a lot of work in optimizing this route. Below I'll be referring to Stage, Act Number, and a letter indicating the character used to enter the Special Stage. Example, Spring Stadium 1T means Spring Stadium Act 1 with Tails. Likewise, Rusty Ruin 2K would be Rusty Ruin Act 2 &Knuckles. T+K means you use both characters.

**Best Special Stages in an Optimal Run**
Green Grove 2K
Spring Stadium 1T
Spring Stadium 2T (the difference between the two is very minor)
Diamond Dust 1T
Diamond Dust 2T+K (Knuckles only for Saturn/'97)
Volcano Valley 1K (Saturn/'97 only)
Volcano Valley 2T

**Best Safeties / Backups**
Green Grove 1K (incredibly safe, beginning of game and only 1 enemy in the route)
Rusty Ruin 2K (lots of rings, plus Flicky Flagging, which is explained below)
Volcano Valley 1K (only a backup for Genesis/Mega Drive)

Trying to walkthrough all of the details of accessing these stages would be... umm.... just bad. Instead I'll recommend runs to watch. The 2 runs below showcase variations on all 10 of the emeralds mentioned above. The only route not shown would be both Special Stages in a single run of Diamond Dust 2.

**Kurayami's 39:15 Run**
https://youtu.be/95yE_o1CJmw
*Showcases Green Grove 2K, Rusty Ruin 2K, Spring Stadium 1T, Spring Stadium 2K, Diamond Dust 1T, Diamond Dust 2T, Volcano Valley 1K*

**Zurggriff's 1:03:56 Run**
https://youtu.be/grhc3q5PbWI
*Showcases Green Grove 1K, Green Grove 2K, Spring Stadium 1T, Spring Stadium 2K, Diamond Dust 1T, Diamond Dust 2K, Volcano Valley 2T*

**CoEmpathy's All Emeralds Run**
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/390918549
*Showcases.... well.... All of them*

There are plenty of variations on these stages that you can take. Just take note on how fast and how reliable they are. You may go for the fastest possible route, but if you take a hit and lose your rings in Volcano Valley 2 before reaching Tails your run could easily die.


#Freed Flicky Flagging
Freed Flicky Flagging is part of Emerald Routing but deserves its own section. Discovered by Zurggriff, Freed Flicky Flagging is the act of changing a Flicky's active state from Free to Following by using a Special Stage. Flickies typically exist in 1 of 4 states:
**Captured:** The Flicky is trapped within a Badnick or Capsule
**Free:** The Flicky is roaming freely
**Following:** The Flicky is following Sonic
**Rescued:** The Flicky is deposited into a Goal Ring

Flickies will typically go through all 4 of these in an average playthrough of any stage. They're trapped until their associated Badnick or Capsule is broken, are then Free until Sonic collects them, and are then Following Sonic until he takes them to a Goal Ring and they're Rescued. At the risk of redundancy, this means Sonic must destroy the Badnick/Capsule, grab the Flicky, take the Flicky to the Goal Ring. Okay I think everyone gets it lol. Flagging lets you skip that second step as Sonic. If you enter a Special Stage, all Free Flickies will have their flags changed to Following instead, which can save a little time. With the Emerald Route above in mind, this is useful for *Green Grove 1K, Rusty Ruin 2K, Diamond Dust 1T, Diamond Dust 2T, & Volcano Valley 1K*. All of the linked videos above showcase this. 

#The Final Fight
If you collect all of the Chaos Emeralds and then beat Panic Puppet 3, a new boss becomes available. This is The Final Fight. It's kinda bad. I recommend watching the videos above. Great Reward for Collecting Emeralds... but at least the Flickies are grateful. If you're asking yourself "did this really need its own section in this guide?" the answer is no. You're welcome.

Thanks for reading. Join us on Discord. Reach out to fellow runners if you're interested in running. Also hit up AmberCyprian in the Discord channel if you need some help on stuff because she's always looking to indoctrin..... i mean HELP.... people get into this game. It's fun.

Nome	Autore
General Movement	the0nlykyd 6 years ago
Getting and Using the Practice Hack	KingRhodesTn 3 years ago
Good/Best Ending Basics	the0nlykyd 6 years ago