The biggest reason, if memory serves, that we started off using a timer was because of how we used to do sheep, where if you pause it the sheep would shoot off and it made it so they would still move without the in-game timer moving. Since we have a skip to avoid the herding altogether, we can probably switch to just using IGT, right? Seems cleaner.

Just a thought. I feel like, if we do that, it could also be possible to submit by just a video from the Share function on the Switch, where, say, you drive through the portal where you can see the timer, skip credits, and show best completed time in the options menu after it loads back up. Simple change that could make the run more accessible?

Yes, that's most of it, but also you don't need to backtrack along the treetops at all, or drain the water, or any of that. Basically if you get the treetop piece at night, the daytime ramp allows you to jump off of it to the right and land on the treetop path without getting the piece that raises the block at the top of it.

I doubt that makes sense over text, and I don't have a super optimal recording or anything for island on hand at the moment, but I have this:

Highlight of just Island from a run/routing stream I did about a month ago. I had a few hours to kill so my brother and I were just messing around, finding how to fit that beach skip in. What should we call it? Beach Skip? University Early? Free Tuition? lmao

Anyway, the jump I'm referring to is at 14:15 in the video, around 53:00 flat on the timer. That jump alone shaves off a good handful of relics.

My battery management the whole run was pretty bad, mostly because I was focusing on the rest of the route, but the individual level routes were okay, except for the whole "collecting batteries mid-level" part. In Island itself, I still got (at least) 3 unnecessary relics. I also mention during this run that it is possible to land a jump that more or less removes all but a very small handful of relics, but it's CRAZY precise and took me over 45 minutes to hit it once, back when I was practicing it. I haven't sit down to grind it out in a long while. Timestamp for my "attempt" at it is 8:17 in the video, 47:00 flat on my timer.

Basically you need a ton of momentum and a good, accurate boost, off of a 60+ degree turn, starting from water. It's hard, but doable, and I'd like to work on it to see if it's worth it but I haven't had the time.

We actually found the same skip to get into the University just after the new year! But your entry is FAR easier than the one we found; we were doing a sharp turn and bouncing off the wall, I should've realized based on the way you kinda bounce over nothing that you could just boost across. lmao sick find!

I haven't managed to put together a 1:30:00 yet either but it's definitely getting close. Your early battery route is far better than mine, and just your general execution of collection. Last few times I've done runs I've been focusing on routing the skips so I would have to backtrack for batteries just because I wasn't thinking about them. Most recently working on routing in some of the hidden bonus batteries, but it might not be worth it if collecting can be made a bit cleaner.

If I would've thought someone was going to start running this, I definitely would've submitted my run sooner so you had some of the newer skips to go off of to start, but you still found and routed in most of them without it. Just a few little things, like taking out ~6 unneeded relics from the island and stuff, are all that's left as far as I can tell.

I can't really speak for everybody else but I've been super busy this month, haven't gotten to stream or record since the 3rd. Would've welcomed you had that not been the case. Let's see how low we can push this game.