A few things I've noticed and adjusted for myself I felt like would be beneficial to share on the off chance someone is as inexperienced as myself with the game.

1. The bird section at the beginning lasts 60 seconds exactly regardless of if you do anything.

2. The chocobo knight chase : The enemies that join the fight after an enemy has been throwing are waiting in a sort of queue, waiting to have a spot to fill. So, by not throwing any guards and keeping the max amount (4) on the screen at all times, you can prevent archers and cannons from ever joining the fight. Only shake the controller when a knight reaches you to defeat them and you'll take no damage. Obviously, toss the archers that show up. Ideally, you'll see two archers and no cannons and take 0 damage super consistently.

3. Blaze fight : Blaze only gets stunned when he's thrown far enough to get his aerial shot off. If he bonks an object before that projectile comes out, he will take no damage and wall hop. Super frustrating until I was able to understand LOL.

4. Instead of running from Grassland to the shuttle you can warp and then teleport to the shuttle significantly faster. The shuttle is the default option so you can mash A when arriving at the warp pool and not select the location from the list. (On the way to the dance, on the way to the palace for end game are where this saves time over current route)

5. The rooftops of the garden are not faster than rolling. You lose time jumping.

6. The Pearl, Gold Ring, and Gold Earrings cost 1096G in total. As long as you are at 775G+ by the time you reach the chest (before the hood section, right after red leaf) you'll have enough. I try to keep track of this because it's exceptionally common for 'Limit Express' to make passengers on the train run into you and lose you money.

Also, this is my new winery fight strat. If you always start by holding down, Keiss will fall downstairs. You get this super fast pattern if he falls down right away.

This is my escape sequence. It saves 9~ seconds if you don't get hit. Less, obviously, if you do.

Tested the different versions and came up with some interesting discoveries.

The HD version is significantly faster in loads. Over 30 seconds faster by the end of the prologue alone.

However, there are things that aren't as swell.

1. You lose the ability to be able to buy and sell 10 of a single item. L2 + R2 scroll up and down a page in the inventory, instead.

2. Time of day is entirely different... Changes at different speeds. If you have strats built around shadow visual clues then you're going to really feel this one.

3. The biggest of all, enemy AI acts and reacts differently to the same scenario. As early as Tar Man this difference is noticeable. Essentially, running the exact same line during a HA as you would on the PS3 is going to give you different results.

So let's say I want to do the current strat for Tesla Tortoise (having Vash run right and fire his two rounds of scratch and then having Leanne run left while popping that scratch). In the PS3 version, Leanne will break the backside of the turtle if jumping and firing immediately. Super easy. This allows Vash to scratch from behind on the Tri-attack. However, on the HD version, that same action breaks the turtles left side. This is the side furthest from Vash. You can see how this changes the entire fight strategy.

This is only one example. There are a ton of these changes all the way to chapter 5 (where I stopped even considering HD as a running option).

Tl;Dr

The HD version has the potential to be faster by a good deal in loads but, instead, would require a reroute of most rooms and bosses in the game as the AI reacts differently. A reroute to have a similar efficient trip through each room and boss would make this the better version. However, until then, the original is the best option.

Downvote ^ obvious scammer, must ban immediately.

This game on the PS2 is scary. Softlocks, credit locks, FMV skips LUL

It doesn't solve any of the "people won't run the game because it's long" problems

I totally agree in that respect, Deathtome. I just mean if the idea is to get more runners interested by allowing individual disc completion as a category, not having each disc have its own time basically nullifies that.

You literally have to do all three discs at once to a do a disc 3 run. That doesn't really make the run any shorter, it just makes a second leaderboard for times already listed on the first leaderboard. Getting people interested by breaking the game in pieces is completely trivialized if you have to do a whole run anyways.

Curious, since it seems like no one has done a PS4 or PC run.

Wasn't sure if this was lack of interest if they're just drastically slower for some reason.

Also, is Japanese considerably faster than English on PS3?

I understand the logic but it doesn't solve the problem of lack of interest because it doesn't make the run any shorter. It just adds another leaderboard for people who are already submitting full runs lol

https://www.reddit.com/r/speedrun/comments/9wavy5/thousand_arms_for_the_ps1_still_has_multiple_200/?utm_source=reddit-android

No turbo, but any controller you can get to work is fine

Got Earthlock to 3:27:10 now. Glitch and skipless. The new version made it a lot better and the Taika abuse discovery really makes it a super fun, super high risk/reward run. Y'all should check it out if you're interested!

Unless you make it past the rock and then the game sees you are in the certain zone and gives you everything you missed as a result, we wouldn't have access to warps. You don't learn about warps until obtaining the warp ring which would be skipped. So not sure if the game fills those slots and missing pieces when you zone into the later section of the game.

Even still, only one way to find out.

Yeah, I been testing it the past few days. Can't recreate it but I can get some weird stuff to happen. Maybe there's a way even if it's not the same way.

Essentially you make it past the rock and you only have to throw rocks at Tornados and then final bosses.

However, it's extremely possible the rock isn't removed once you make it past it. If you think about it in the regular game you push the rock to the right and it remains in that position for the remainder of the game. I bet it has to be glitched past any time you need to move past it.

That's not even counting the fact that if you make it past the rock in the first place that the game might not load any of the stuff since you're not there story-wise yet.

I'll keep testing it out

I have PS2 and Wii so I can screw around with them both. I imagine the inputs would be easier to have be consistent on the PS2 controller, though.

Will check it out. Thanks!

Outside of Gameshark and such, anything is okay.

Emulators and the like are fine.

I'm definitely the wrong person to make the final decision but that seems like it makes sense to me. Going to be insanely long, though. Good luck!

A good rule of thumb would be to see what the Playstation/Steam trophies required for Platinum% would be and to build on that. Or, to just do a Platinum% run to begin with.

#Higgledy Need-to-knows!

• You will have up to 4 Higgledies equipped at any given time. Based on which four are currently equipped, they suffer or benefit from a compatibility bonus that I'm not 100% sure on as of yet.

• Higgledies are obtained by 'cooking them up' in the Higglery. The Higglery is one of your Town Building establishments. Various Higgledies require certain crafting materials to be created and leveled up.

• Higgledies are leveled up by using crafting items. There are no specific items required. Instead, they work like the familiar treat system in the first game. Each Higgledy likes a certain type of item. Giving them any item will yield exp. However, giving them their preferred item (milk for those that like dairy products, etc) yields larger exp gains as a result.

• All Higgledy leaders have an attack and defense stat. These increase with level.

• All Higgledies have 4 traits that come with them. Two are white (basic) traits. Two are green (special) traits. Special traits are used when your controlled character is in 'Awakened' mode.

• At Level 1, each Higgledy leader will have 3 followers. Every level increases the amount of followers by 1.

• All Higgledies have an element listed, except for Non-Elemental types. Wind, light, dark, etc. These elemental affinities make a difference in a few aspects - usually tied to traits.

• All Higgledies have a personality type. Shy, Outgoing, Careful, Cowardly, etc. I'm not entirely sure how these effect overall compatibility but they definitely play a factor. I will list them beneath the Higgledy's name.

#Known Higgledy basic traits These are the top 2 abilities listed out of the 4, written in white :

Scrap, Scrap!

• Imparts a slight boost to the power of regular attacks.

Same, Same!

• Will occasionally create more higgledies when attacked with their own element.

Tick, Tock!

• The number of higgledy troops will automatically increase in battle.

There, There!

• Restores a small amount of HP to an ally.

Wimpy, Wimpy!

• Slightly decreases an enemy's physical attack for a short period of time.

Hunker, Hunker!

• Slightly increases an ally's physical defense for a short period of time.

Better, Better!

• Cures an ally's status ailments.

Bang, Bang!

• Makes higgledies more explosive when absorbed into their human commander.

#Known Higgledy special traits These are the bottom 2 abilities listed, written in green :

Higgledy Boom

• A cannon is brought onto the battlefield and used to blast the enemy.

Higgledy Heal

• The HP of all allies is gradually restored over a short period.

Higgledy Fan

• Temporarily creates an energy field that boost resistance to wind attacks.

Higgledy Plunge

• Gravity is temporarily turned up to max, bringing enemies crashing down.

Sonic Tonic!

• Boosts the chance of the player emitting shockwaves when awakened.

Gust Buster!

• Makes the player more resistant to wind-element attacks when awakened.

Hard Guard!

• Slightly boosts the defense of the player when awakened.

Night Smiter!

• Makes the player more resistant to dark-element attacks when awakened.

Higgledy Glow

• Temporarily creates a field that boosts resistance to light-element attacks.

Light Smiter!

• Makes the player more resistant to light-element attacks when awakened.

Sicker Quicker!

• Boosts the chance of the player inflicting status ailments when awakened.

#Higgledy Leaders

Runcible the Righteous - Non Elemental Shy

• Scrap, Scrap!
• There, There!
• Higgledy Boom
• Sonic Tonic!

Wiff-Waff the Wafty - Wind Shy

• Scrap, Scrap!
• Wimpy, Wimpy!
• Higgledy Heal
• Gust Buster!

Filigree the Flighty - Wind Cowardly

• Same, Same!
• Hunker, Hunker!
• Higgledy Fan
• Hard Guard!

Tove the Tenebrous - Dark Outgoing

• Tick, Tock!
• Wimpy, Wimpy!
• Higgledy Plunge
• Night Smiter!

Bink the Blinky - Light Careful

• Same, Same!
• Better, Better!
• Higgledy Glow
• Light Smiter!

Clangle the Spangly - Light Cowardly

• Bang, Bang!
• There, There!
• Higgledy Glow
• Sicker Quicker!

Fidget the Festive - Non-Elemental Outgoing

• Do it, Do it!
• Flimsy, Flimsy!
• Higgledy Heart
• Hard Guard!

Knoll the Coal-Fired - Fire Careful

• Bang, Bang!
• Hocus, Pocus!
• Higgledy Heat
• Crit Hit!

Tulgey the Dingy - Dark Shy

• Stay, Stay!
• Nocus, Pocus!
• Higgledy Gloom
• Night Smiter!

Tumtum the Terrible - Dark Shy

• Me Too, Me Too!
• Better, Better!
• Higgledy Clipse
• Sicker Quicker!

Scroobious the Rash - Fire Cowardly

• Same, Same!
• There, There!
• Higgledy Singe
• Sonic Tonic!

Tureen the Torrential - Water Careful

• More, More, More!
• There, There!
• Higgledy Splosh
• Hard Guard!

Shillyshallly the Shy - Water Cowardly

• Higgle, Piggle!
• Silly, Silly!
• Higgledy Buff
• Sonic Tonic!

Flapwaggle the Feathery - Wind Outgoing

• Me Too, Me Too!
• Flimsy, Flimsy!
• Higgledy Whoosh
• Fight Right!

Twiggy the Twisty - Wind Shy

• Ball, Ball!
• There, There!
• Higgledy Buff
• Sonic Tonic!

Outside of the obvious difference in combat, which isn't mind boggling in and of itself, there are a lot of small things that I believe will impact stuff heavily. Combat being action based / real-time is cool but I believe the intricacies of the real-time combat will be more important (Higgledies, Zing, etc)

The Tactic Tweaker

• This is going to be monumental. The ability to adjust vulnerabilities, resistances, exp, money, and drop rates, and more. There is no doubt in my mind that intelligent utilization of this tool will make the run what it is.
• A brief explanation : Using Battle Points (points earned by winning fights) you move various sliders in different directions. For instance, Solidity and Sliminess share a slider. In exchange for 1 BP you can move the slider one space in either direction. Moving the slider one space closer to Solidity increases your effectiveness against Solidity type enemies while weakening your effectiveness against Sliminess type enemies.
• Unfortunately, there is VERY little information (I think 2-3 videos that briefly touch on and display the tweaker) on everything the tweaker adjusts. Currently, I know these things are adjusted :

First Section Solidity <----> Sliminess (Damage boost for Solid vs Slimy enemies) Nature <----> Nobility (Damage boost for Natural vs Reptilian enemies) Wonder <----> Wildness (Damage boost for Beautiful vs Brutal enemies)

Second Section Blaze <----> Beffudlement (Fire vs Confuse resist) Puddle <----> Poisoning (Water vs Poison resist) Light <----> Dark (Light vs Dark resist) Storm <----> Sleep (Lightning vs Sleep resist)

Third Section. This section has no counterpart. It is a Slider that moves in one direction, increasing effectiveness without reducing anything elsewhere

Brutality (Increases damage inflicted by heavy melee attacks) Ranged (Increases ranged damage) Magic Shield (Decreases magic damage taken, I think? This one is not 100% confirmed) Speed (Increases movement speed in battle, also not confirmed.) Untouchability (Increases the length of time you're invulnerable while evading) Block (Decreases damage taken while blocking)

Fourth Section This section is a square. So, for whatever you make most effective, you are losing effectiveness in two other categories as a result.

EXP............↔.........Money ↕.....................................↕ Rare drops ↔ More drops

Higgledies

• This is a very interesting and new concept. After a ton of researching every video I could find, I have kind of figured out how these function. First, there are a TON of different ones you can acquire and use. They are obtained in various ways and some (if not most?) are received as a result of your town building. They function differently individually but also receive bonuses based on the combination compatibility of all Higgledies you have equipped. Finding Higgledies that are not only useful but work well together will make a large difference, I imagine.

Town Building

• This is a classic Level-5 move. If you're familiar with their library then you probably aren't surprised by the emphasis on town building. First thing to know is that you build parts of your town in a kind of instanced, side zone type of place. What you build has impact on what you have access to in towns and shops and such in the actual game. The things you build are dependent on NPCs you recruit. The NPCs you recruit are obtained by doing various side quests for the NPCs in question during actual gameplay. Various NPCs build specific things and at different rates of speed required to construct which take place in REAL TIME. This is a forced functionality. We cannot make it through the game without utilizing this as it is forced by the main storyline progression at a point. My hope is that we can pop into town builder, queue an NPC to start building, return to the main storyline, and then go back to the town builder when you need to. This way we won't be forced into real time waits of multiple minutes to progress. Not sure, exactly, as very little has been explained outside of what I've listed. One thing is for certain. We will be unable to ignore all sidequests as we will probably be required to recruit at least some members in order to effectively tackle Kingdom Battles. Which leads me to my next point....

Kingdom Battles

• These are the strange, tactics style battles where you have 4 varying types of soldiers around you and can rotate them to defeat enemies at various rates of efficiency. I don't imagine this will take a ton of time or be hard to do at all. However, if the effectiveness or strength of your soldiers is tied to the Military/Barracks level of your Town (which I believe it is, based on what I've seen) then it could, again, force you into utilizing more Town Building elements than anticipated to complete main storyline stages.

Zing System

• This is the 3 main-weapon system that the game features for all characters. This does not include side-weapons that all characters have equipped at all times (Roland's Gun, Nani's ranged weapons, etc). The 3 weapons you have charge from 0-100% and damage and ability effectiveness increases with those percentages. A 'fire sword' style weapon will have increased fire damage and fire abilities will be amplified based on the corresponding weapon Zing percentage. You can charge a weapon to full, swap to another to charge, and then the third without losing any charges of already maxed weapons. Once you use a 'special move' available at 100% Zing, that weapons charge will be reduced back to 0%. Charging certain weapons to 100% to prep for various boss fights will be important but I don't believe this system will be game changing as much as the other points. Just cool and creative ways to do more damage and speed things up a bit.

Alchemy

• I'm really unsure of how much this will matter in the game because almost nothing has been shown about this system in any of the content I've seen released. However, I've noticed that alchemy ingredients are EVERYWHERE. Sometimes there are 5 ingredients within a few feet of each other. Similar to Breath of the Wild, there seems to be multiple flowers in flower beds, multiple roots around the bases of trees, etc. Since we don't have the unlimited money we have in the first game, it may be beneficial to keep an eye on the value of crafted items.

Clipping/Skipping/Sequence Breaking/Glitches

• I've grouped these all together as there is, currently, no way to tell if any of these will be present or impact the game in any way. One thing to note is that jumping is available natively at the start of controlling Evan for the first time. Based on the fact that the battles are not instanced OR forced, we can possible sequence break sections that aren't necessary by utilizing the huge range and height that the jump in this game offers. Will keep an eye out for glitches and bugs and such but one thing is very important to note. This is a current generation game that is connected to wireless network influenced systems. Patching out of glitches and bugs, changes to versions, and DLC content (swords from collectors edition and such) will all have to be paid attention to. We may be playing a different game in a year than we are playing the day of release. Keep that in mind.

Here is the thread where we can begin to toss ideas around. I am starting this before the game comes out as I have a few curiosities.

However, as we play the game, we can add to the thread and help route this game out as quickly and efficiently as possible.

In that case, Dogz is faster with player spawn apple. even more so than good spot cherry.